Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider a reduction in the contribution required from local authorities towards housing adaptation grants in view of the many schemes that are currently suspended around the country despite the great need from those who are ill or elderly from housing adaptation works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46189/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. 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, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areas from within their allocation.

Exchequer allocations for 2012 in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability, totalling some €54.2 million, were notified to local authorities on 28 February 2012. At the end of September, €33.3 million of this had been drawn down by local authorities, facilitating the payment of over 6,376 grants.  In assessing the demand for grants each year local authorities are requested to set out the amount of matching funding being provided to meet the authority’s 20% share of the grant payments. While a number of authorities have advised my Department of constraints on their Revenue budgets, earlier this year local authorities collectively indicated that some €18.65 million in matching funds was available in 2012.

Over the period 2008 to 2011, over €337 million was paid out in grants in respect of approved adaptation works and extensions. Over 48,000 individual applicants received grant assistance over that period. As part of the preparatory arrangements for the 2013 grants programme, my Department will be contacting each local authority shortly to ascertain the level of demand under each of the grant schemes and to quantify the level of revenue or other funding to be made available for the schemes in 2013. I will review the matter of the local authority own resources contribution in the light of this information.