Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Conway for raising this important matter. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government provides funding to local authorities for the housing adaptation grant scheme for older people and people with a disability. Under this scheme, a suite of grants is available to private home owners. The scheme is of significant social benefit in terms of facilitating the continued independent occupancy by older people and people with a disability of their homes. The grants are 80% funded by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, with a 20% contribution from the resources of each local authority. Exchequer funding of more than €37 million was provided for these grants in 2014. This amount, combined with the contributions from the local authorities, amounted to overall spend of €46.3 million. National funding for 2015 is to increase by 10%, giving a combined spend of €50.5 million. Individual allocations to local authorities will be made shortly. Some 8,000 households are expected to benefit under the schemes in 2015. The Minister is aware that the grant measures are heavily subscribed across local authority areas and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will be requesting local authorities, where necessary, to prioritise those applications based on need.

At local level, the detailed administration of these schemes, including assessment, approval and payment of individual grants to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. Funding is also available to support local authorities in undertaking adaptations and extensions to their own social housing stock to meet the needs of their tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Support from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government meets 90% of costs, with local authorities providing the remaining 10%. Again, the implementation of works under these supports for local authority tenants is a matter for the authorities. It is for them to determine in the first instance if the works are needed to make the accommodation more suitable for the tenant and to prioritise the use of available resources.

In recent years, despite significant funding reductions for social housing overall, a concerted effort has been made to protect expenditure in respect of extensions and adaptations to local authority homes. In 2014, funding nationally in this area was €8 million. I know that the Minister, Deputy Kelly, hopes to ensure that 2015 funding for these supports to local authorities is at least maintained at the same level as last year.