Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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406. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the allocation for the disabled person’s grants in each of the years 2013 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form; and the amount that each local authority drew down in each of those years from their allocation for the purposes of the grants. [27215/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding on an annual basis under the Disabled Persons Grants (DPGs) scheme to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants.  The scheme applies to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people or people with a disability.  This may involve minor adaptations such as stair-lifts, grab -rails, showers, wet-rooms, ramps etc. It also provides funding for more major adaptations such as extensions, for example in the case of overcrowding, or the installation of a downstairs bedroom or bathroom. 

My Department provides 90% funding towards the cost of the eligible works per property with the remaining 10% being provided by the local authorities. The local authority can carry out works up to a maximum level of €75,000 per property without the prior approval of my Department. Applications in excess of this amount can be submitted to my Department and will be considered for funding on a case by case basis. It is a matter for each local authority to prioritise the works required under the scheme in the context of available funding and in line with the terms of the DPG scheme.

Details of allocations and funding drawdown by local authority between 2013 and 2019 are available at the following link, while details to date in 2020 are outlined in the table below:

The overall 2020 funding provision (€18m) has increased in line with previous years. Preliminary allocations totaling €13.5m have issued to local authorities. Local authorities were advised earlier in the year to continue with works up to a maximum value of 65% of their 2019 allocation, in order toensure there were no delays in rolling out the programme and completing priority works. It is open to local authorities to apply for additional funding for contractual commitments not covered by their preliminary 2020 allocation and a contingency fund of €2.5m has been set aside for this purpose. My Department monitors the allocation and funding drawdown to ensure efficient use of resources including re-assignment of any potential underspend in individual local authorities.

The significant increase in funding for the scheme year on year against 2013 levels is a clear demonstration of the Government’s commitment to improving the lives of older people and people with a disability.