Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Ahern, to the House. I would like to raise a simple and clear-cut matter. I ask the Government to review the operation by the various local authorities of the disabled persons grant scheme. I do not refer to Carlow County Council in particular, because it operates a very good scheme under which category A cases are generally dealt with in less than a year. I understand from my colleagues that schemes in other parts of the country are not organised as well.

If an elderly person who has had a stroke, for example, or is suffering from another illness needs to install a downstairs toilet, shower or bedroom, he or she has to apply to his or her local authority to be considered under the disabled persons grant scheme. The matter is then referred to the person's doctor and the local section of the Health Service Executive, before being considered again by the local authority, which refers it to an occupational therapist. If the person's application is successful, having been considered by the local authority for the final time, he or she is asked to identify what needs to be done. The matter is then referred to the local authority's clerk of works to be costed. If the person succeeds at that stage, his or her application is finally approved.

The procedure I have outlined is followed quite quickly in Carlow County Council. I commend the staff of the council for reducing the waiting time for the report of the occupational therapist to approximately one month. My colleagues in other local authority areas have informed me that people in some areas have to wait for up to a year for a report. The service provided by Carlow County Council has been greatly enhanced by its decision to avail of the newly privatised occupational therapy service. I am not sure whether other local authorities adopt a similar approach.

The delays in the grant scheme are causing concern for many people. I am aware of a case in a county other than County Carlow that has taken almost two years to progress. The people in question have been waiting for almost five months for the local section of the Health Service Executive to get back to them.

I have raised this matter to try to focus the Minister of State's mind on the grant scheme in question. I ask him to organise a review of the scheme. He should try to improve it further by learning from the success of the Carlow experience. We need to facilitate those whose houses need to be renovated so that they can enjoy a decent quality of life.

Why does the funding provided by the Department of Health and Children to local authorities meet just two thirds of the cost of the renovations? As far as I know, local authorities have to meet the shortfall in central funding by paying for one third of the cost of the renovations. Would it not make more sense for the Department to provide a full grant and allow the local authority to do the rest of the work? I understand that some local authorities, including one in Cork, are not spending the money they have been allocated because of the requirement to meet the shortfall.

The operation of the disabled persons grant scheme needs to be examined. Perhaps the manner in which it is being operated in Carlow can be used as an example of best practice, to avoid some of the problems I have mentioned. It is totally unsatisfactory for all concerned that people should have to crawl upstairs on their hands and knees because the necessary renovation works have not been done.