Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Jul 1998

Vol. 493 No. 4

Written Answers. - Disabled Person's Grant Scheme.

John McGuinness

Question:

122 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his Department will review the disabled persons grant scheme which is proving to be inefficient and cumbersome to operate and replace the scheme with a more user friendly grant scheme; if he will have an investigation made into the delay experienced by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny in relation to a grant application in this regard; the number of people on the waiting list in County Kilkenny as a result of the lack of a report from the South Eastern Health Board; his views on whether the system is causing hardship for the families of those involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16368/98]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

The disabled person's grant scheme is administered and operated at a local level by local authorities and, accordingly, my Department would not have information on particular cases.

I am, in the context of An Action Programme for the Millennium, examining possible options to extend the range of measures currently available to assist low income households in securing necessary improvement works to their housing, including the disabled person's grant scheme. Pending completion of this examination and decisions arising from it, I do not propose to comment on the possible outcome. I would not, however, envisage the transfer of responsibility for administering the disabled person's grant scheme from local authorities to my Department.