Written answers

Thursday, 13 July 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Services for People with Disabilities

Photo of Margaret Murphy O'MahonyMargaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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1301. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way his department is improving services and increasing supports for persons with disabilities during 2017 [34031/17]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The National Housing Strategy for People With a Disability (NHSPWD)2011 - 2016 and associated National Implementation Framework were jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health. They set out the Government’s broad framework for the delivery of housing for people with disabilities and were developed as part of a coherent framework in conjunction with the Government’s mental health policy and Congregated Settings Report. The partnership approach adopted under the Strategy recognises that the provision of suitable housing is only one element in supporting people with disabilities to live fully inclusive lives. Building on theProgramme for a Partnership Government commitment to meet the housing needs of people with disabilities, the NHSPWD has been extended to 2020 to continue to deliver on its aims.

Implementation of identified actions in the NHSPWD is being driven primarily by the Housing Agency by means of a dedicated sub-group comprising representatives from my Department, the Health Service Executive (HSE), Department of Health, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and various disability representative organisations. The Housing subgroup, established in 2012, is continuing work in 2017 under the extended timeframe, to progress a range of priority actions. An Implementation Monitoring Group (IMG) was established in 2012 to monitor and report on progress. The IMG is chaired by a senior official of my Department and comprises representatives from relevant Government Departments, agencies and disability organisations. The IMG met most recently on 28 April 2017 and a further meeting is scheduled for October. Three progress reports on implementation covering the period September 2012 to December 2016 have been published by the IMG to date. These comprehensive reports are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

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Progress on implementation of the NHSPWD will continue to be monitored and reported on by the IMG.

Some landmark measures in particular have been achieved that will contribute significantly to improving the lives of people with disabilities. These include the establishment of Housing and Disability Steering Groups (HDSGs) in all housing authorities in 2016 to achieve a coordinated and integrated approach to meeting the housing needs of people with a disability at local level. The HDSGs are chaired by Directors of Housing Services and include HSE and disability organisations. Each HDSG has prepared a local Strategic Plan for its own City/County area, to develop specific local strategies to meet identified and emerging need over the next five years. These Plans, along with the annual Summary of Social Housing Assessments, will allow local authorities to plan more strategically for the housing needs of people with a disability and will support the delivery of accommodation using all appropriate housing supply mechanisms.

Another key measure commenced last year is a review by the Housing Agency of the National Guidelines for the Assessment and Allocation Process for Housing Provision for People with a Disability,which have been operational in housing authorities since 2014. This significant body of work involved wide ranging consultation and engagement with relevant stakeholders and the revised Guidelines, when finalised, will take account of experience to date. As such, they should prove to be a practical and useful resource for people with disabilities, housing authorities, practitioners and all relevant stakeholders. I understand that the revised Guidelines will be submitted to my Department shortly for consideration and they will be issued to local authorities as soon as possible thereafter.

In regard to financial supports, my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) funds up to 100% of project costs advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide accommodation for people with specific categories of need, including people with disabilities. A provision of €66 million is available for the scheme this year.

My Department also provides funding under three separate schemes for necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works to the houses of people with disabilities and older people in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs, and to facilitate the continued occupancy of their own home for as long as possible. The 2017 funding allocation of €59.8m represents an increase of some 6% on the funding provided in 2016, and is targeted to reach 10,000 homes. There is a strong social benefit accruing from this funding in terms of supporting older people, and people with a disability, to continue to live independently in their own homes and therefore, in line with the Programme for Partnership Government,further consideration will be given to increasing this funding over the coming years.

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