Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 6

Written Answers. - Essential Repair Grants.

Liz O'Donnell

Question:

21 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the extreme hardship to home owners in urban areas who do not have resources available to them to carry out essential repairs to their dwellings; the proposals, if any, there are to extend the operation of the essential repair grant scheme to urban areas to meet the needs of such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3382/96]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Ms McManus)

The Housing (Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grants) Regulations, 1993 redefined and circumstances under which essential repairs grants are payable. Effectively, such grants may be paid in respect of a house in any area subject to the following conditions: the occupier must be approved for local authority housing; the house cannot be made fit for human habitation, in all respects, at a reasonable cost but the repairs proposed will prolong the useful life of the house; and there would be no continuing demand for local authority housing at the location of the house in respect of which the grant is sought.

I would expect that only a small number of cases in built-up areas could comply with these conditions. However, where an essential repairs grant cannot be paid for a house (because there is a continuing demand for local authority housing), it would be open to the local authority concerned to consider the use of the scheme of improvement works in lieu of local authority housing, if the requirements of that scheme are fulfilled.