Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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140. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify the amount of funding being allocated to counties Carlow and Kilkenny as part of the Housing Adaptation Programme for 2014; if he will consider removing the monetary figure attached to the funding such as the €6,000 for walk-in shower, €10,500 for HOP grants, €30,000 for HGD's and instead base each application on its own merit, on a case by case basis; if he will consider prioritising cases of elderly couples who are in receipt of the contributory/non-contributory pension only for adaptation grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49761/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Abridged Estimate for my Department, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Expenditure Report 2014, provides some €28.6 million in respect of the suite of Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. The Estimates provision will be supplemented by the recently announced €10 million in additional funding for this measure, giving an overall provision in 2014 of €38.6 million, some €4.3 million more than the initial Exchequer allocation in 2013. The increased allocation will facilitate the payment of more than 7,800 grants to assist older people and people with disabilities to remain at home for longer. I intend to announce details of the capital allocations to individual local authorities early in 2014.

My Department is currently reviewing the operation of the grant schemes in consultation with the local authorities and groups representing older people and people with disabilities with the objective of targeting those in most need and ensuring that the maximum numbers of households can benefit from these schemes. My Department will continue to explore all opportunities to stretch the available resources, including through co-operation with the Health Service Executive and other agencies. I intend to announce revised terms and conditions for the grant schemes in the coming weeks.