Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the funds allocated to each local authority under the housing aid for older people scheme for 2010; when these funds will be distributed; the amount that this has increased, or decreased, for each authority, compared to 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9531/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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To comprehensively assess the overall level of demand for grant assistance under the suite of grant schemes for older people and people with a disability, my Department requested local authorities to submit details of their funding requirements for 2010 by 22 January, with a view to determining the allocations for this year as soon as possible after the publication of the 2010 Revised Estimates for Public Services. The relevant information has been received from the local authorities and is currently under examination in my Department. I intend to announce details of the allocations for 2010 very shortly.

To provide for continuity in the processing of applications and the payment of grants under the various grant measures, local authorities were advised by my Department that they could anticipate an allocation for 2010 which would not be less than their initial allocation for 2009.

The allocations are calculated on foot of discussions between my Department and the local authorities and on the basis of the level of demand for grants, taking account of the number 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 to each of the various grant measures, from within the combined allocations from local authority and Exchequer sources, notified to them by my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areas from within their allocation.