Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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27. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the provision of ramps and stairlifts by local authorities now have to be processed by his Department. [19464/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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On 16 January 2014, I announced details of the capital allocations under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. The schemes are funded by 80% recoupments available from my Department , together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority . The detailed administration of the schemes , including the assessment, approval and payment of grants to applicants , is the responsibility of the local authority.

Three separate schemes are available, as follows:

(i) Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability which assists people with a disability to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried out in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. Grants for up to €30,000 are available for works including the provision of access ramps, stair lifts, accessible toilet and shower facilities, wheelchair access and extensions.

(ii) The Mobility Aids Grant Schemeis available to fast track grants of up to €6,000 to cover a basic suite of works to address the mobility problems of a member of a household. Qualifying works include the provision of stair lifts, level access showers, access ramps, grab rails and some minor adaptation works .

(iii) The Housing Aid for Older People Scheme provides grants of up to € 8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out. Grant eligible works include structural repairs or improvements, re-wiring, repairs to or replacement of windows and doors, provision of water supply and sanitary facilities, provision of heating, cleaning, painting etc.

In the case of local authority owned properties, funding is allocated each year in respect of a range of measures to improve the standard and overall quality of local authority social housing stock, including the regeneration of large social housing estates and flat complexes, estate-wide remedial works schemes and a range of retrofitting works aimed at improving the fabric and energy efficiency of the properties. The management and maintenance of the social housing stock, including the compilation and funding of on-going maintenance programme and minor adaptation works, is a matter for individual authorities.

Local authorities were advised earlier this year that funding for adaptations and extensions would be considered on a case by case basis. Authorities should, as far as possible, undertake and fund these works from own resources, including from Internal Capital Receipts (ICR’s) , before seeking Exchequer funding. My Department will shortly request local authorities to report on their ICR-funded housing improvement works programme s for 2014. Requests for funding for adaptations and extensions to properties will be considered in the light of the returns received in this regard.