Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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622. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on his plans for further funding of local authorities for the housing adaptation grant schemes and increasing housing adaptation and mobility and access grant amounts to cover the cost of disability adaptations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47645/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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623. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of people waiting for all types of housing adaptation grants in county Louth, by the length of time they have been waiting, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47646/25]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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660. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total amount of funding allocated by his Department to each local authority under the housing adaption grant scheme in each of the past five years; if the allocations by his Department were categorised whereby specific amounts were ring fenced for priority 1, 2 and 3, applications; if it is a matter for each local authority to allocate an amount from the overall budget to each priority heading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48120/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 622, 623 and 660 together.

My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist those in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, are funded by my Department with a contribution from the local authority. The detailed administration of the scheme including assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment is the responsibility of local authorities. My Department does not hold collated data in respect of the number of people awaiting approval, or length of time that they have been waiting on grant approval. This information may be available directly from the local authorities.

The Exchequer funding available for these grants in 2025 has been increased substantially by €25 million to €99.5 million, or over €117 million when accounting for the local authority contribution, continuing the year on year increases since 2014. As part of the annual budgetary process, consideration will be given to increasing this funding in future years in line with the commitments under Housing for All and the Programme for Government.

My Department completed a review of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme in 2024, including a review of the Means Test, and the Report on the Review is available on the Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/report-on-the-review-of-the-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/

The Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People) Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 612 of 2024), which came into effect on 1 December 2024, provide the legal basis for the introduction of the recommendations set out in the review. The key changes include an increase in the grant limits of over 30% and the income thresholds by 25% whilst also revising the means test. The legislation also adjusts the burden sharing for local authorities by reducing the local authority funding contribution to 15% (from the previous 20%).

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. Details of the allocations and drawdown for the last five years are available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/

My Department advises local authorities annually that, as far as practicable, a percentage of the allocation under the schemes should be ring fenced in respect of any emergency applications which might arise under these schemes during the course of the year. Consequently, all local authorities manage their schemes to ensure access to the grants programme is maintained to the extent possible throughout the year on a priority basis.

My Department works closely with the local authorities to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of available funding. This means that any underspends that arise on the part of any local authority can be redistributed to other authorities which have high levels of grant activity and my Department makes every effort to redistribute such funding throughout the year.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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624. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has reviewed the affordable housing scheme and issues arising from it; if any further affordable housing is due to come on stream in county Louth in the next 12-months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47647/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Funding approvals are now in place for the delivery of over 6,200 affordable purchase and cost rental homes by 22 local authorities with the support of the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF). The legislative framework and arrangements in place to support local authority affordable purchase schemes are proving effective.

Affordable Housing delivery reports based on quarterly returns received from local authorities are published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link -

www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/?#affordable-housing-delivery

Louth County Council has already delivered local authority led affordable purchase homes in three schemes in Blackrock and Drogheda. It has also recently announced availability of further homes in Ardee. Details of affordable purchase scheme opportunities which become available are advertised by Louth County Council at affordablehomes.ie/.

Affordable purchase is also being supported in Louth through the First Home Scheme, with over 360 approvals provided in respect of homes in Louth up to Q1 2025. Louth has also seen its first cost rental homes delivered and the Vacant Property Refurbishment grant is also available to enable bringing homes back into use.

My Department, in conjunction with the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office of the Local Government Management Association and the Housing Agency, is continuing to advise and support Louth in developing further affordable housing schemes.