Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am very glad to have an opportunity to speak about a desperate situation in County Louth whereby Louth County Council has closed applications under the housing adaptation grants for older people and persons with disabilities.

We are all aware of the importance of these grants. We know they make a significant difference in the lives of older people and people with disabilities. These grants help fund house renovations to make homes more accessible and create spaces that are required for people's unique needs. They can make a difference between an individual being able to live at home and enjoy his or her home with comfort and dignity. Many older people and people with disabilities experience many challenges such as navigating stairs, bathrooms, bedrooms and other vital areas of the home. This can significantly affect their quality of life. With funding for housing adaptation grants and accessibility adaptations such as the installation of ramps, stair lifts and grab bars, they can make their home easier and safer to manoeuvre around. Supporting people to continue to live in their own homes can result in significant cost savings for the State. This is because the expense of maintaining nursing homes and other assisted living facilities are much higher than providing in-home care. Additionally, individuals who receive in-home care have been shown to have better health outcomes and higher levels of overall satisfaction compared with those in institutional settings. It makes sense for the State to invest in these adaptation grants and programmes and services to support people living in their own homes.

Louth County Council has approximately 600 applications on file waiting to be processed and funded. This year's funding will only cover approximately 200 applications. It is wholly unacceptable to close the scheme to new applications but I can fully understand why Louth County Council did so. It cannot in good faith take any more applications and put people through that process without being able to move forward on applications. I acknowledge that there has been an increase in funding for housing adaptation grants. However, we must clear the backlog of 400 applications. Many people contacted me this week in fear because their fathers, mothers and family members are stuck in limbo unable to live in their own homes because they are waiting for this adaptation grant, with no hope of being able to apply for it at the minute.

I ask the Government to make a special gesture of goodwill for people in County Louth to be able to live independently by clearing this backlog to ensure Louth County Council can move forward on a normal platform from now on. We know the importance of these housing adaptation grants. Our constituency offices try to support many families to live at home every year. I look forward to the Minister of State's response and hope it is favourable.