Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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1380. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has made any assessment on the impact of the lack of availability of the housing adaptation grant is having on the health service and the numbers of patients unable to return home (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31721/15]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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1382. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the discussions held between his Department and others in relation to people not eligible for assistance with home adaptation and as a result, remaining in the care of the health service resulting in added expenditure to the State (details supplied). [32267/15]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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1467. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will revise the housing adaptation grant means test criteria to take into consideration the financial commitments applicants had prior to their disability (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31722/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1380, 1467 and 1382 together.

My Department provides funding under the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability. At €50.5 million, the funding that I announced for 2015 for these schemes is an increase of some 10% on the fundi ng that was available last year, enabling local authorities to support an increased level of activity.

The suite of grants under this scheme, which is available to private home owners, provides significant social benefit in terms of facilitating the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability – it is expected that some 8,000 households will benefit under the schemes in 2015. The intention is to help those most in need, hence the application of means testing to the schemes.

The income limits for the scheme were last amended in 2014 arising from the recommendations of a review group and I have no plans to revise them further.  A priority for the scheme is to spread the benefits as widely as possible and ensure fairness and value for money in their operation. The scheme is therefore more sharply focussed towards households with greatest needs, especially lower income households. The income thresholds considered when providing grant aid under the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability are as follows:

At local level, the detailed administration of these Schemes, including the assessment, approval and payment of individual grants to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

In the administration of the scheme for eligible applicants, cooperative arrangements are operated between local authorities and key hospital contacts to facilitate early notification of those patients awaiting discharge. Local authorities have been requested by my Department to prioritise eligible grant applicants whose discharge from hospital is dependent on the adaptation of their homes.