Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Regional Group for the opportunity to discuss this is extremely important issue. I was doing clinics from Castletownbere right across to Kinsale last weekend. I do not know how many of these forms I filled out in respect of housing aid for the elderly, the mobility grant aid or those with disabilities. The issue is that the funding is no longer meeting the requirement. It is well out of date. Even if we only look at housing aid for the elderly, people get €8,000 to do a roof but you would not get a roof done for less than €20,000 now. That is a major issue for some.

For people with disabilities, the home adaptation grant is extremely important. There needs to be full grant aid in order that people who have serious disabilities can at least have the comfort of knowing that if they have to put an extension on to a home or adapt it, they will not have the burden or worry of looking for a loan. I am presented with this regularly. I thank the staff of Cork County Council in Clonakilty and Mallow and all those dealing with council grants for the elderly and with mobility grants. Their work is second to none but, ultimately, their hands are tied because they are only able to give what is there to give. Then they find that people cannot carry out the necessary works. Some people end up in community hospitals or nursing homes because they cannot adapt their homes. It is a no-win situation and it makes matters worse. We are talking about the adaptation grants, but the grants for the elderly need to be looked at too. Prices have gone out of the control. People are applying for the grant but the grant goes near nowhere near covering the prices they are being quoted.

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