Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The policy on all sides of this House, as I understand it, is that elderly or ill people should be allowed to remain in the comfort and security of their own homes, or the homes of members of their family, rather than being in nursing homes or in State care in hospitals, and so on. In order to achieve that objective, repairs or alterations have to be done to a house in many cases. There is a scheme of State grants for alterations in those circumstances and there has been increased provision for this lately, which I welcome. Unfortunately, there are serious defects in the administration of this scheme and how it is operated by various local authorities. It is extremely slow and tedious and it operates unevenly between one local authority and another. What we are proposing is a system which would bring uniformity to this area and would enable these grants to be processed much more speedily and efficiently.

It is a humane measure. It would enable people who are ill or elderly and who wish to live with their own family, or their family members, to get the grant so the patient or elderly person could move into the accommodation as quickly as possible, certainly much more quickly than at present. I urge the Government to adopt the Bill. Deputy O'Rourke will explain how it will operate.

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