Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a comprehensive statement on meeting the disability requirements of his Department, local authorities and State agencies for which his Department is responsible; the moneys allocated for each year since 2000 and the money spent in each financial year to date in 2006; the problems which may have arisen and with which agency or body; the strategy to resolve these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36649/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As required under the Disability Act 2005, my Department's sectoral plan was approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas on 18 October 2006. The plan, covering my Department, its partner bodies and local authorities, sets out national objectives and guidelines for access to public buildings, services, amenities, and information, as well as to heritage sites and other facilities. The plan provides for a range of positive measures, including improvements to Part M of the Building Regulations, the introduction of a new Disability Access Certificate and the development of a Housing Strategy for people with disabilities. The implementation of these measures will promote and pro-actively encourage equal opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in the economic, social and cultural life of the community.

There are many major spending programmes and schemes funded by my Department, for example in the areas of housing, non-national roads, libraries and urban and village renewal, which are used to provide facilities for and services for people with disabilities as well as for other groups in the community. Such spending can not be readily disaggregated.

I have provided €18 million in 2006 to help my Department, local authorities and bodies under the aegis of my Department to implement the National Disability Strategy. This forms part of a cross-Departmental multi-annual funding programme, introduced in mid-2005, which will continue until 2009. The information requested in respect of the National Disability Strategy funding is set out in the tabular statement. My Department is working closely with its partner bodies and local authorities to optimise the gains made from this expenditure and to deal with issues as they arise.

The tabular statement also gives details of the combined capital allocation for disabled persons and essential repairs grants notified to local authorities in each year from 2000 to 2006 and the combined expenditure on those schemes and on works of adaptation to local authority rented dwellings for a disabled member of the household from 2000 to 2005. Data in relation to 2006 expenditure will be published in the Annual Housing Statistic Bulletin early in 2007. Expenditure on the grant schemes is funded by the two-thirds recoupment available from my Department together with the one-third contribution from the resources of the local authority.

The review of the Disabled Persons Grant scheme, which incorporates the conditions governing the Essential Repairs Grant scheme and the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme, was recently finalised within my Department. Proposals for the future operation of the schemes are now being prepared by my Department, in consultation with other public agencies concerned, and I expect to be in a position to announce these shortly.