Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the lack of emergency and social accommodation in the city for people with a disability. The constituency of Dublin South Central is home to one of the highest proportions of people in the country living with a disability, with more than 15,000 people. A total of 12% of the population of that constituency has a disability, compared to the national average of 9.3%. Last week, I was contacted by a constituent, who I will not name, who is sleeping on our streets with her guide dog. She has been told by Dublin City Council that it has no suitable accommodation for her. We called Dublin City Council, which referred us to six different disability organisations. They confirmed there is no supply of emergency accommodation in the city suitable for a disabled person. The lady has attended many hostels with her dog and confirmed to us that her dog has been kicked and shoved out of the way. She was unable to stay in the hostel as it was not safe for her dog on which she relies.

Yesterday's national housing strategy outlined an ambitious plan that will inform the specific supply responsible for people with disabilities at a local level, including accessibility requirements in new local housing stock. The report outlined that €10 million will be ring-fenced to provide for the implementation of the strategy, which seeks to secure people in their local communities. Meanwhile, the cuts to the housing adaptation grant which were introduced by the previous Government run counter to the policy of trying to move people into communities and enable people with disabilities to live independently in their own homes where possible. Grants such as the housing adaptation grant make it possible for people with disabilities to remain in their own homes, providing vital support for installing essentials such as handrails and lifts to assist people to get around their homes more easily.

It is imperative that essential grants such as these are not filleted further by the new Government. They need to be adequately resourced and funding made available because they are often the difference between a person remaining in his or her own home or being forced to enter a care facility such as a nursing home. While budget 2016 aims to increase the allocation by 10% to €55 million, the programme for Government states it supports further increases in funding for the scheme. It is imperative this commitment is delivered.

The Fianna Fáil election manifesto calls for a restoration of the grant to 2011 levels, which would require an extra €25.5 million in funding. We hope the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, who has responsibility for the grant, will begin the process of working towards restoring it to more adequate levels in the next budget and will honour the commitment to increase funding to the scheme, as committed to in the programme for Government.