Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the funding provided by my Department to each local authority in respect of the Disabled Persons Grants Scheme/Improvement Works in Lieu (DPG/IWIL) for local authority tenants up to 2020 is available at the following link.

www.housing.gov.ie/housing/grantsfinancial-assistance/disabled-persons-grants-and-improvement-works-lieu-schemes

The 2021 DPG allocations issued to local authorities in May, details of which can be found at the link below. Local authorities are currently progressing their 2021 work programmes but it will be later this year before significant recoupment claims are lodged with my Department. Full details in relation to the drawdown of funding in 2021 will be available early in 2022.

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/20e02-minister-obrien-minister-burke-approve-over-23m-in-funding-for-the-disabled-persons-grant-scheme-improvement-works-in-lieu-of-local-authority-housing-scheme/ 

Separately, funding of €75 million is available nationally in 2021 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme, in respect of private houses. Local authorities fund 20% of the overall budget from their own resources with the balance of 80% funded by the exchequer. This funding has increased year on year since 2014. If Local Authorities are in a position to allocate additional own resources to the grant scheme in 2021, further additional funding can be requested from my Department and every effort will be made to accede to any such request.

Details of the grants for all local authorities up to 2020, are available on my Department's website at the following link:  

www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics. 

The 2021 funding allocation for all local authorities is also available on my Department’s website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/0da3f-minister-obrien-minister-burke-announce-75m-fund-to-improve-homes-of-older-people-people-with-a-disability/ 

The following table contains details of the 2021 exchequer funding drawn down by local authorities for housing adaptation grants up to 30 June 2021.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Representations from Oireachtas members to local autorities are subject to the provisions of the Local Government Act, 2001 (Section 237A) Regulations, 2003 (S.I. No. 274 of 2003). The Regulations include provisions in relation to correspondence with Oireachtas members by local authorities, arrangements to facilitate access to information, and communication generally by local authorities with Oireachtas members.

Representations made on behalf of individual constituents in relation to housing adaptation grants or other personal matters are also subject to the general requirements that apply under the Data Protection Act 2018, which is under the remit of my colleague Ms Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Justice. The 2018 Act confers rights on individuals in relation to the privacy of their personal data as well as responsibilities on those persons or bodies holding and processing such data.

The Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) published detailed guidance for elected representatives in December 2018 and this is available on the DPC website at the link below:

www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/latest-news/dpc-publishes-guidance-elected-representatives

This guidance was created taking account of the DPC’s direct engagement, at the request of members, with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in July 2018.

Local authorities are independent statutory bodies with their own governance and management structures. The implementation and day-to-day compliance with both the data protection obligations and the representations from Oireachtas members regulations is a matter for each individual local authority.