Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 485: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the allocation of the housing aid for the elderly scheme in 2009; the way it has been spent to date in 2009; if he has received feedback from the Health Service Executive; the number of local authorities and HSE units that run this scheme as a separate scheme; the number who have linked this scheme into the private house grants scheme, elderly and disabilities; the way the funding was spent by local authorities under the private house grants scheme, who have in cases cancelled the scheme and thus have no channel to spend housing aid money; if this scheme is relevant; and if work under the scheme is being performed or if it is incorporated into the private house grants scheme and so on. [36760/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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On foot of a Government Decision, taken in February 2006, to transfer the administration of the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme (SHAE) from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to the local authority sector, a revised suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability was implemented on 1 November, 2007. The revised schemes target available resources to those in most need, streamline operational and administrative procedures and ensure equity and consistency of operation across all local authority areas.

In order to facilitate transitional arrangements, it was agreed between my Department and the HSE that the SHAE scheme would be discontinued from 1 August 2008 and that the HSE would process and approve the applications on hand at that date. All new applications in respect of grant assistance for home repairs and improvements with effect from 1 August 2008 would be directed to the local authorities and dealt with under the provisions of the Housing Aid for Older People scheme.

My Department provided a total of €14.7 million to the HSE in 2008 for the operation of the SHAE scheme. In July 2009, following consultation with the HSE, my Department provided a further €3.5 million in respect of the remaining claims on hand.

Insofar as the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability are concerned, I refer to the reply to Question Nos. 486, 502 and 507 on today's Order Paper.