Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Housing adaptation grants are crucially important in helping people with disabilities continue to live in their own homes and can have a significant impact on their independence and quality of life. The Bill being introduced by Fianna Fáil will require local authorities to make a decision on a person's entitlement to the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability within four weeks of receiving a completed application. The Bill, if passed, will ensure a decision on entitlement to the grant is made in a timely manner, thereby improving outcomes and increasing efficiency.

Many families are unable to carry out the necessary works until their applications are approved because they simply do not have the money. While they are forced to wait, their loved ones are living in a home and some of them are still in hospital. We heard last year that 136,000 bed days were lost through delayed discharges, which equates to approximately 500 a day, which equates to the number of people on trolleys. The delays and the fact that people have to stay in hospital longer due to the fact that the correct adaptations have not been carried out in their homes have a significant knock-on effect. Affording people the opportunity to live in their own homes is a central plank of Fianna Fáil policy. In many instances, that is only possible through the installation of stairlifts, grab rails, showers, wet rooms or ramps, all of which are covered by the housing adaptation grant.

I wish to draw the Minister of State's attention to funding. A total of €71.25 million was available nationally in 2019. However, a problem arises with the allocation available, especially in Waterford. There are 5,000 local authority houses in Waterford but the budget for adaptations to them is only €300,000, whereas the budget for adaptations to private houses is €2 million. The waiting list for tenants of Waterford City & County Council for adaptations, for example, to remove a bath and put in a shower, or for a stairlift is now in excess of two to three years. That is a very worrying trend and I wish to draw the attention of the officials to that.

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