Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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48. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the findings of a recent investigation by Raidio Teilifís Éireann into the allocation of private housing grants, which seem especially favourable to certain Ministers’ constituencies; the measures that are being put in place to ensure the allocation of these grants is being made on the basis of need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9015/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Exchequer funding of over €37 million was provided by my Department to local authorities in 2014 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. Combined with an additional 20% contribution by individual local authorities, there was an overall spend last year of €46.3 million in this area. I am pleased to confirm that the 2015 amount will increase by some 10% to give a combined spend of €50.5 million.

Prior to 2014, allocations were based on the level of contractual commitments notified to my Department by each local authority. Local authorities were encouraged to maintain continuity in approving and paying grants and therefore, commitments carried forward into the new financial year always had first call on the available funding. Where local authorities showed high levels of commitments, funding was provided to meet these commitments. This resulted in certain local authorities receiving a higher allocation than others per head of population and there was no link in this regard between allocations and the constituencies of Ministers.

More recently my Department has moved towards a method of allocations which takes account of population of each local authority area, with a weighting towards those aged over 65, who are the majority of applicants in this category. The 2015 capital allocations for the grants will be made in a way that continues to take account of the population figures in each local authority. Individual allocations to local authorities will be made shortly.