Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I am delighted the Ceann Comhairle has chosen this serious issue for consideration on the Adjournment. I was informed yesterday by staff in Roscommon County Council that up to 600 applications have been received for grants. There is a minimum two years waiting list for essential works such as toilet and shower facilities, window replacements and central heating upgrading. When discussing an application relating to an elderly man in his 70s living alone, recently discharged from hospital, who has no toilet, shower or running water in his home, I was informed it would take two years before his application is even examined. Roscommon County Council is dealing with applications received in November 2007. Funding is so poor that these are dealt with in chronological order. However, only high-priority cases will be examined. Elderly people living in County Roscommon and in south Leitrim who need shower facilities because of their disability have no hope of any financial assistance. The councils have two-year waiting lists and, in addition, the HSE has withdrawn all funding for special housing aid for the elderly which was used for emergency cases. Is the Minister of State aware that there are 200 homes in County Leitrim without running water? That is the highest number in the country.

I suggest that the Minister of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, should make funding available, especially for emergency cases. This would create employment and would also provide small builders and tradesmen with a weekly income instead of obliging them to collect social welfare. It would help the ailing building industry and it might resolve some of these alarming cases. As politicians, we are inundated with requests for housing aid for the elderly and for repairs to houses. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that sufficient finance is made available and that henceforth these elderly people in the twilight of life will not have to wait two years.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Finneran. I thank Deputy Feighan for giving me the opportunity to speak about the operation of the housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability.

The Government is very much aware of the critical role of the adaptation grant schemes in the context of an overall continuum of care for older people and people with a disability. As the Deputy knows, in order to facilitate the continued independent occupation of their own homes by older people and people with a disability, a revised framework of adaptation grant schemes was implemented in November 2007. The revised grant framework streamlines the administrative and operational procedures governing the schemes, provides a more targeted and integrated response to the housing needs of older people and people with a disability, and ensures the most efficient and cost-effective outcomes from the funding available, including the targeting of available resources to those in most need. The new suite of grants schemes is funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department and a 20% contribution from the local authority.

Funding and activity under the schemes has been accelerating year on year, with expenditure increasing from some €13 million to over €71 million in the period 1997 to 2007. During that time approximately 74,000 grants have been paid. This represents 74,000 older people and people with a disability who have been assisted in remaining in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. In May 2008, a combined capital allocation of €71.4 million was announced for the operation of the schemes for the year. In addition, to take account of the significantly increased levels of activity under the grants schemes experienced by local authorities in 2008, supplementary Exchequer allocations totalling €15 million were made in September, October and December. This funding supported badly needed adaptation works for over 12,000 disadvantaged households. Roscommon County Council received a combined capital allocation of €1,678,170.

For the purposes of the operation of these schemes in 2009, my Department has been in regular contact with all local authorities on a range of relevant issues, including the levels of activity experienced under the schemes in 2008, the levels of claims on hand, the degree to which prioritisation of applications has taken place, and the anticipated levels of activity in 2009. In light of anticipated demand, the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, is conscious of the need for local authorities to be able to deploy available resources as early as possible to maximise their impact for households availing of the schemes. Local authorities will, therefore, be notified of their capital allocations for these schemes immediately following the publication of the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2009. As in previous years, it will be a matter then for each local authority to decide on the specific level of funding to be directed towards each of the schemes, from within the combined allocation notified to them by my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areas from within this allocation.