Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider setting aside a specific budget for the housing adaptation grant scheme, as funding for accessible living environments has been prioritised in the National Carers' Strategy, but programmes in most local authorities are either on hold or are moving very slowly because of a lack of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48678/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department remains committed to providing financial assistance to older people and people with a disability who wish to carry out essential repairs, extensions/adaptations or improvement works to their homes in order to meet their accommodation needs. A suite of grants is available under my Department’s Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability that includes three separate grant measures; the Mobility Aids Grant scheme with grants of up to €6,000, the Housing Aid for Older People scheme with grants of up to €10,500 and the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability with grants of up to €30,000, depending on household income. The schemes are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from local authority resources.

Exchequer allocations for 2012 totalling some €54.2 million were notified to local authorities in February 2012 in respect of these schemes which are administered by the local authorities. At the end of October 2012, some €38.9m (72%) of this funding had been recouped to the local authorities. My Department monitors expenditure under these schemes on an on-going basis and any savings, resulting from an under-spend by local authorities of their 2012 allocation, will be made available for re-allocation to authorities whose allocations have been fully spent.

The capital allocations to local authorities, including allocations under the grant scheme, will be determined in the light of the overall budgetary provision for the housing programme in 2013. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the priority of individual applications and the scope of the works to be funded under the relevant scheme.

In relation to accessible living environments, since 1 January 2001 all dwellings are required to comply with the standards set out in Part M of the Building Regulations. The Regulations require, inter alia, that adequate provision is made for people with a disability to safely and independently access and use a building, its facilities and environs. Any further necessary works to adapt a house or an apartment to meet the specific needs of a member of the household may be carried out with assistance being provided under the grant schemes in appropriate cases.