asked the Minister for the Environment the number of households which have availed of the scheme of home improvements for the elderly, set up under the Employment Guarantee Fund; and the amount spent in each year since its inception (a) in Dublin; and (b) nationally.
Written Answers. - Housing Aid for the Elderly.
53.
Presumably the Deputy has in mind the scheme of special housing aid for the elderly which is administered by a task force set up under the aegis of my Department and is operated at local level by the health boards. It is estimated that from the inception of the scheme in 1982 up to the end of 1985, about 5,000 applicants had been assisted countrywide.
The funding of the scheme is by way of a grant-in-aid provision in my Department's Vote and £1½ million has been provided this year, representing an increase of £½ million over the provision in previous years. Allocations are made annually to the various health boards and details of the levels of expenditure in relation to the particular parts of their administrative areas are not available in my Department. However, details of overall annual expenditure are as follows: 1982 — £0.54 million; 1983 — £1.04 million; 1984 — £1.41 million; 1985 — £1.01 million.