Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

These grants cut to the heart of housing policy, but we should be trying to keep disabled and elderly people in their own homes. The fact is that this is happening at the same time as the cut to the mobility grant, and it follows cuts in the respite grant and household benefit package in the past two years. It amounts to tightening the noose and making things more difficult for the cohort of people who have a disability but who are trying to live independently, as well as elderly people.

I know of grants amounting to as little as €2,000 that are being used to keep people in their homes. It can cost as little as €2,600 or €2,700 for a simple straightforward stair-lift. Typically, only a small amount of money is needed to keep people living independently. Let us consider it from a Government point of view: surely we should try to keep people in their own homes. That is logical and sensible as it is where they want to be, but even when considered from an economic point of view, it is where we want to keep them.

The allocation for Laois County Council is down 76%. The Minister of State indicated that she wanted to ensure the council had enough to honour the commitments it had entered into on 1 January, but Laois County Council does not allow anyone to enter into commitments on 1 January until it secures the allocation. The Minister of State should examine the record for what is a relatively small county. She will find that the council has been using this grant well, spreading it over a large number of people to benefit the maximum number and prioritising it in a careful and systematic way. If the council was not doing that I would be giving out about it. It is important. The council is being punished for doing exactly that.

The overall cut in the budget of the Department was approximately 11%. I realise that is difficult for the Department, but the cut to this grant in Laois was 76%. Does the Minister of State agree that this is having a negative impact on Laois? The fact is that Laois County Council has kept its house in order well and it has been running a good ship, yet it is being penalised for this. This is one of the things Laois County Council does particularly well. Does the Minister of State agree that this should be examined again?

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