Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I very much thank Deputy Willie O'Dea and Fianna Fáil for bringing this very important issue to the floor of the House. Whether we speak about essential repairs, disabled person's grant or mobility aid grants they are the very grants that are so important because they help to make it practical for people to continue to live in their own homes. Whether a person is getting older and suffering various infirmity problems, or whether, through old age or an accident, a person needs to have a house adapted, it is probably the most important work that could ever possibly be grant aided for them because it makes the difference between being in a hospital or nursing home setting or being in their own home. This Government, previous Governments and, I am sure, future Governments will always maintain the proper place and the best place for any person to ever live is in their own home, if it is practical and possible for them to do so.

At this point I want to highlight the work done by our local authority, Kerry County Council. If we do not boast about our own crowd we cannot boast about any crowd, and I would put it to the Minister of State that Kerry County Council and the department that deals with the administration of the funding this and other Governments give to them are second to none in Ireland. With regard to efficiency, they do their level best. The clerks of work who look at the actual practicalities of what it takes to do the job and the engineers - I could name them but I will not embarrass them by doing so - are not good, they are excellent.

They put their hearts and souls into their jobs. The departmental officials who process the grant applications understand that those applications are not simply forms but requests for grants for adaptation of homes to enable people to remain in them.

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