Vol. 481 No. 4
40 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government whether he will look sympathetically at ways and means of speeding up the implementation of disabled person's grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16103/97]
The disabled person's grant scheme is administered by the housing authorities who decide, inter alia, the level of funding to be provided for the scheme in their area, the level of grants in individual cases and the relative priority to be afforded to individual applicants. Authorities are recouped 50 per cent of their grant payments, up to a maximum of £4,000 per case, by my Department.
The need to provide a satisfactory service in terms of processing disabled person's grant applications, the level of grant being paid and the discharge of claims for payment has been drawn to the attention of authorities by my Department and I believe that, in general, authorities provide such a service. Where, however, a delay has occurred in individual cases this might, in the first instance, be raised with the particular housing authority involved.
