Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group I want to thank gach éinne a raibh ag obair go crua inné agus a rinne sárobair san ospidéal i Loch Garman. We support the ongoing efforts there, which included Irish Red Cross units and the likes of Kenneth O'Connell and others from as far away as Tipperary town. That is the spirit of the meitheal that we like to see and hopefully all will end well.

Often times when we discuss the disaster of housing policy in Ireland, we focus on the plight of the homeless, first-time buyers and renters. Today, however, I wish to highlight the plight of a vulnerable cohort of our population that is also caught up our housing crisis, those being our elderly and people with disabilities, who rely on grant assistance to upgrade, adapt or repair their homes. The importance of the housing aid for older people grant, the mobility aids grant scheme and the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability, which enable people to live independently in their homes for longer, cannot be overstated. These grants have improved people's lives and well-being in the past and have seen them have long and happy lives at home but unfortunately, the grants are outdated and way behind what they should be.

First, the grant ceilings have not been increased in 13 years, despite the unprecedented increase in construction costs. The rising costs of materials and the shortage of skilled labour in Ireland are putting the cost of these upgrades and associated essential works beyond the reach of the recipients of these schemes, who the schemes are designed to assist, and that is very serious. Second, there are considerable waiting times for people waiting for grant approval nationwide, which is keeping people out of their homes until these essential adaptation works are completed. Today, 14% of our population are in the over-65 bracket, which will go up to 23% in the coming years. Therefore, these grants will be increasingly crucial for a growing cohort of individuals and their respective families to ensure our nursing homes and hospitals are not overwhelmed. That is the urgency of the matter. Third, the fixed-price grant rates for housing adaptation grants are no longer fit for purpose. The maximum grant levels are €8,000 under the housing aid for older people grant; €3,000 under the mobility aids grant scheme; and €30,000 under the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability, and these have not been increased for over 13 years.

The costs of building, labour and materials have increased as we all know. Therefore, I demand that these grant schemes be urgently reviewed with a drastically increased maximum grant rate. I fully support the calls by disability groups for the grant ceilings to be doubled, which would result in a maximum grant aid of €60,000. People want to do these works, they are happier in their homes and they have better health and life expectancy outcomes in their homes. We need to have realistic figures so that people can do these grant schemes and apply for the grants in a timely manner.

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