Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for giving me this opportunity to discuss the operation and funding of the suite of housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability in 2009. The new suite of grant schemes replaced the previous disabled person's and essential repairs grant schemes late in 2007.

I attach great importance to these schemes which play a vital role in facilitating the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. In line with my objective of prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable households, I underlined my commitment to ensuring the continued effectiveness of the schemes by announcing an 8% increase in funding for the schemes in 2009. The new suite of grant schemes is funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.

As the Senator will be aware, funding and activity under the schemes has been accelerating year on year, with expenditure increased from €13 million in 1997 to over €71 million ten years later. During that time, 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, I announced a combined capital allocation of €71.4 million for the operation of the schemes for last year. In addition, to take account of the significantly increased levels of activity under the grant schemes experienced by local authorities in 2008, supplementary Exchequer allocations totalling €15 million were made in September, October and December. This level of funding supported the carrying out of badly needed adaptation works to over 12,000 disadvantaged households.

In preparing the allocation of funding to individual local authorities for the operation of these schemes in 2009, my Department has been in regular contact with individual 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 view of the anticipated high levels of demand under the schemes once again this year, I am conscious of the need for local authorities to be able to deploy available resources as early as possible in order to maximise their impact for households availing of the schemes. Local authorities will therefore be notified of their capital allocations in respect of the housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability immediately following the publication of the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2009.

As in previous years, it will then be a matter 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.