Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.  The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People, which are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.  The detailed administration of these schemes including assessment, approval and prioritisation, is the responsibility of local authorities.  Local authorities receive an overall allocation, with the responsibility for the apportionment between the three schemes being a matter for each authority given their knowledge of local need.

My Department's approach every year is to issue a single full year allocation to each local authority, so they can plan and implement the grants programme. Over the course of the year, my Department works closely with the local authorities to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of the available funding. This means that if underspends arise on the part of some local authorities, they can be redistributed to other authorities which have high levels of grant activity. If Louth County Council is 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.

My Department recommends that all valid applications should be processed within 6 weeks from the date of submission. However, in the event of a backlog, local authorities should prioritise applications on the basis of the medical needs of the applicant. Louth County Council has advised my Department that it is currently dealing with a backlog of applications. 

The schemes are means tested and operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa.  Grant assistance is not available to applicants whose household income, after disregards and deductions, exceeds €60,000 per annum. Local authorities must adhere to the income thresholds set down by the regulations, so that the funding is focused on those households who need it most. In administering the schemes, local authorities should always work with qualifying applicants to ensure they get the most beneficial outcome possible in line with their financial circumstances.  My Department will commence a review this year of the means test criteria and maximum grant limits applicable to the housing adaptation grants.

Funding of €75 million is available nationally in 2021 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. This funding has increased year on year since 2014.  As part of the annual budgetary process, consideration will be given to increasing this funding in future years in line with the Programme for Government commitments and the Policy Statement on Housing Options for Our Ageing Population, which is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/ea33c1-housing-options-for-our-ageing-population-policy-statement/

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, grabs -rails, showers, wet-rooms, ramps etc., but can also provide funding for more major adaptations such as extensions, for example in the case of overcrowding, or the installation of a downstairs bedroom or bathroom. 

Under the DPG scheme, the Department also provides funding for Improvement Works in Lieu (IWIL's) to enable local authorities to repair, improve or extend privately owned houses that are occupied or intended to be occupied by approved housing applicants, as an alternative to the provision of local authority housing.

On top of the exchequer funding amounts, the local authority makes a further 10% contribution in respect of these grants. The detailed administration of these grants, including the assessment, approval and prioritisation of applications, is the responsibility of the local authorities.  

A communication issued to all local authorities in March requesting a programme of works detailing all applications on hand and the status of same together with their contractual commitments. These returns were reviewed and informed the 2021 funding allocations.  Louth County Council’s combined allocation is €451,003 which will allow the Council to complete all works in their submission.

The Department will review allocations and funding drawdown later this year with a view to considering revised allocations based on the progress of works. Funding approval for works that cannot be undertaken will be redistributed to those local authorities that can complete works in excess of their allocations.

Demand for this programme has been increasing considerably over the last number of years and it is important to ensure that the available budget benefits the majority of people and meets the needs of eligible tenants.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Funding of €75 million is available nationally in 2021 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. This funding has increased year on year since 2014. As part of the annual budgetary process, consideration will be given to this funding in future years in line with the Programme for Government commitments and the Policy Statement on Housing Options for Our Ageing Population, which is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/ea33c1-housing-options-for-our-ageing-population-policy-statement/

Officials from my Department will begin a review of the existing grant limits and income thresholds applicable to the grant schemes later this year.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 761 and 762 together.

I have no specific function in relation to the local authority owned land banks and the associated local authority local authority debts.

Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions. Accordingly, the day-to-day running of each local authority is a matter for its Chief Executive while budgetary decisions are made by the Elected Members.

The information requested is not available in my Department but should be available in individual local authorities.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 763 and 764 together.

My Department supports local authorities with annual funding towards the management and maintenance of their social housing stock under a number of funding programmes including the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) and the Voids programme. Record funding was provided to local authorities by my Department under the 2020 voids programme and very significant funding has been provided again in 2021.

The EERP was launched in 2013 with the aim of funding the retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since 2013, over 73,500 units of local authority housing stock have been retrofitted under the programme with a total exchequer spend of €161 million. From the period 2013 to 2020 Louth County Council completed 2,281 units under the EERP at a cost of €3.2m. Substantial works has also been undertaken under the Voids programme, with almost €1.6m recouped by Louth County in the period 2015-2020 which resulted in 148 vacant properties being returned to productive use.

The revised EERP for 2021 focuses on ensuring that the fabric of the home is upgraded and an energy efficient heating system is provided. Works eligible under the Programme include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation, windows and external doors, heat pumps and ancillary works. The budget for the 2021 EER is €45m and Louth County Council has received an allocation of €1,407,580 for the retrofit of a minimum of 52 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal BER standard. Under the 2021 Voids Programme, Louth County Council has been allocated funding for the return of 115 vacant properties.

Responsibility for the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock is the responsibility of the local authority under section 28 of the Housing Act, 2009. My Department will continue to support local authorities in this regard however it is important that local authorities budget adequately for housing management and maintenance as part of their annual budgeting process using the available housing rental income to its maximum.