Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Resumed)

Photo of Kieran O'DonnellKieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Collectively, under the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, we wanted the grants for refurbishment to go up. They are now going up to €50,000 and €70,000, a rise of two thirds on the €30,000 for properties vacant for two years and a 40% rise on the €50,000. We want this scheme to work. As the Minister has said, this is a demand-led scheme. We had an initial target of 2,500. Some 1,500 to 1,600 people have already come forward. We want this to be an unqualified success and we hope other parties want the same thing. However, I get the impression that they want to tear it down before it even gets going. We want this to work.

On the housing adaptation and disabled person's grant, the Department has carried out a review. We are considering that at the moment. I expect that, with the Minister, we will be making a decision on that. Once again, when we are looking at schemes, we want to get them right. We need them to be looked at in good measure. That is why this report has been completed by the Department. We will be coming forward with a position on that pretty quickly.