Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. Unfortunately, but also thankfully, my family has had to use the night nursing service twice. I wish to put on the record the great job that night nurses and the Irish Cancer Society do. It is important to acknowledge that work. The harrowing stories the witnesses have told us about families with that experience brought it back home to me.

A major issue, and one that has only been raised with me in the past couple of weeks, is that of bridging finance, which I believe was mentioned earlier. I have encountered three cases in the past two weeks involving Government grants. One is the housing aid grant that Deputy Ó Cuív and I have raised numerous times at this committee. People are not able to afford the bridging finance that is needed to improve their houses through retrofits. The Croí Cónaithe grant is another example. People have been approved by Kildare County Council in the area I live, but when they approach their local credit unions, they cannot get bridging finance because there was a cancer diagnosis. I would welcome a response. This issue needs to be addressed because these people are living in energy poverty and cannot upgrade or retrofit their homes, leaving them in a difficult position. I will not hold up the meeting. I again thank the night nurses and wish to put the issue of bridging finance on the record. Given the three cases I have dealt with within the past two weeks, it is a serious problem.

The Government has had a report on improving the housing adaptation grant for almost two years now. I have been following this matter. The report is with the Department and I hope we will get some answers at our next session. The approach needs to be changed. As Deputy Ó Cuív stated, €8,000 is simply not good enough in the current environment. In fairness, the housing adaptation grant can be as much as €30,000.

The building costs I am experiencing in Kildare for simple adaptations are up to €70,000. Where are these families who are struggling to get the extra €30,000 or €40,000? I ask the witnesses to comment on the bridging finance that is so badly needed.