Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for allowing me the opportunity to provide an update on this matter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides funding to local authorities under the suite of housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. These grants are available to people with an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability, or to older people who experience mobility issues or require essential repairs to their homes so that they can continue to live independently at home.

The grants are 80% funded by the Department, together with a 20% matching contribution from the resources of the relevant local authority. The schemes are means-tested and operate on a sliding scale, with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. The detailed administration of these schemes, including assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment between the three schemes is the responsibility of local authorities. In 2022, almost €86 million in funding was made available to facilitate the payment of over 12,000 grants. Local authorities were recently informed of their 2023 allocations, with each local authority receiving an increase on the 2022 allocation, continuing the year-on-year increases since 2014.

Housing for All contains a commitment to the effect that a review of the range of housing grants available to assist with meeting specific housing needs both for our aging population and people with a disability will be undertaken. A report on the review of the housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability has been prepared by the Department for the consideration of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien. Among the areas which the review considered are the income thresholds and the grant limits. The review was informed by engagement with external stakeholders, such as the Department of Health, the HSE, the Disability Federation of Ireland and the Irish Wheelchair Association. Written submissions were also invited and considered as part of this process. The Minister is acutely aware of the importance of the review work, particularly given that it is almost ten years since these important grant schemes have been given this detailed consideration back in 2014. On foot of the careful consideration of the review report, the Minister has asked Department officials to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on the recommendations in the review report.