Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position of local authorities regarding the provision of central heating when none existed previously to assist older persons under the terms of the housing aid for older person's scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41108/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department’s involvement with the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. The grant schemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.

The Grant Schemes provide a range of grants for necessary improvement works or adaptations to houses, including the provision of appropriate heating systems, in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. The schemes are administered by Local Authorities and it is a matter for each local authority to determine the extent of the grant-eligible works and the amount of grant aid to be paid in individual cases.