Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for his question. I know the Senator has been a strong advocate for the revised scheme. In May of this year, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I announced an individual allocation in the region of €93 million for the housing adaptation grants. This provided a provision of €74.5 million from the Exchequer along with a 20% contribution from the local authorities. This represented a 12% increase of more than €8 million on the previous year's allocation. I recognise that there is an urgency in finalising the review for the current grant system in order to continue to ensure that the system is fit for purpose. We want to ensure that it delivers to the most vulnerable people for whom access to these grants is necessary, to ensure that they have a good quality of life and that they can adapt their homes in a meaningful and fit-for-purpose manner. At the moment, the report is being carefully considered, particularly given that it has been ten years since this important grant scheme has been reviewed. I hope to publish the report very soon, in parallel with finalising the new regulations to implement the review. My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in relation to the recommendations. This work will also include the development of the regulations, which are really important. Among the areas we are currently reviewing are the income thresholds and the grant limits. As the Minister has said, there has been a significant rise in the cost of construction and building materials. We want to ensure that the application and the decision-making processes - including the application itself - are more streamlined. I hope to be in a position by mid-summer to make an announcement.