Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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631. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of restoring housing adaptation grant expenditure to 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 levels, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46101/15]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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632. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of restoring housing aid expenditure to 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 levels, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46102/15]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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633. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of restoring housing adaptation grant for persons with a disability expenditure to 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 levels, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46103/15]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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634. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of restoring mobility aids grant scheme expenditure to 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 levels, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46104/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 631 to 634, inclusive, together.

My Department provides funding under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. There are three separate grants available and local authorities receive an overall allocation, with the responsibility for the apportionment between the three schemes being a matter for each authority.

Information on the exchequer funding provided by my Department to each local authority for these grants is available on my Department’s website at the following link: , by selecting ‘Social and Affordable Housing’, ‘Housing Adaptation Grants by Area 2008 to date’. Information on the 2015 allocations is available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

The total funding allocation of €50.5m nationally for these grants that I announced in May 2015 represented an increase of some 10% over the 2014 funding. Funding provided for the grants in the years in question is set out below, along with the additional funding on top of the 2015 provision that would be required to restore funding to those levels.

The Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability replaced the Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grants on 1 November 2007.

I am aware of the social benefit accruing from these schemes in terms of facilitating the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability and a further funding increase of 10% is proposed for the grants in 2016.

In addition, some changes were introduced to the grants in January 2014 following a review carried out in 2013. These changes are spreading the benefits of the grants more widely and improving fairness and value for money in their operation. This approach, combined with the additional funding being provided, will see over 8,500 households benefit from the grants in 2016.