Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 971: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there are guidelines or legislation in place to ensure that a grant scheme approved by a local authority is honoured when the work is completed; the safeguard in place for grant applicants who are approved funding but are told there is no funding available on completion of the works; his views on introducing such guidelines to ensure that local authority budgets are fully transparent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33511/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability are administered by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) Regulations, S.I. No. 670 of 2007. Matters such as the assessment and approval of individual applications and the payment of grants to householders, are the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

The combined allocation to Mayo County Council, incorporating the Exchequer contribution and the co funding provided by Council, for 2009, was €2,775,834, an increase of 14% on the 2008 allocation.

The annual allocations to local authorities under the schemes are calculated on foot of detailed discussion between my Department and the local authorities and on the basis of a number of criteria, including the level of applications on hand that have been assessed as eligible, applications yet to be assessed and projections for new applications to be received during the year. It is a matter for each local authority to decide on the specific level of funding to be directed towards each of the individual schemes, from within the combined allocation notified to them by my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areas from within their allocation. There are no undue delays in recouping grant expenditure to the local authorities and, nationally, some 75% of the overall Exchequer contribution has been recouped to local authorities to date.

At my Department's request, the Centre for Housing Research is currently carrying out an evaluation of the grant schemes in consultation with stakeholders, including the local authorities, representative organisations for older people and persons with a disability, and with a cross-section of grant applicants. The need for revised guidelines with regard to the payment of grants by local authorities to approved applicants will be considered in the light of the evaluation report.