Housing grants are very important to people with disabilities in enabling them to live independently in their own homes and have proved their value over the years. It is crucial that people with disabilities can be inde pendent and stay at home rather than be cared for by others or have to move to an institution. These grants have been very valuable in this regard.
I raise this matter because the local authority of which I have been a member for many years, Limerick Corporation, has run out of funds for the disabled person's grants. I have spoken to other colleagues, such as Niamh Bhreathnach, who has told me that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown has also run out of funds, while Kerry County Council has just about run out in recent weeks. I know that Clare County Council was allocated £160,000 and that it has had to spend money from other sources; it has already spent £280,000 this year and predicts that by the end of the year it will have spent approximately £350,000 on disabled person's grants.
I have to be fair and say that other local authorities have enough money and have not run out of funds. There is an uneven distribution of funding to local authorities under the disabled person's grant scheme. I wrote to the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, earlier this year concerning problems I had been having with my local authority. He indicated that the allocation appeared to be in line with the needs in local authority areas, but that is not the reality. I know of several people who applied to Limerick Corporation who have been told that they will have to wait until next year's funding before their grant can be processed. The applications can be processed but the money cannot be spent until next year.
In many cases people cannot wait, particularly where an illness has resulted in a disability and where a house needs to be adapted quickly. I am dealing with one case in which a husband had to adapt his house for his wife's needs. He could not wait until next year and I am trying to see if he can receive retrospective funding. However, that is not in accordance with the rules. I know of another case in which a woman with terminal cancer has been told she must wait until next year. The needs of people with disabilities can change and even though they may have received a grant, they may need a second grant, which is generally not available.
There have been improvements in the scheme. The maximum amount has been raised but it needs to be increased further because of the increased costs of renovations due to the housing crisis. Some people do not qualify for the full grant if they own their own house. In its pre-budget submission, the Carers Association recommends that, where necessary, the grant should cover 100 per cent of the cost required. Just because people own their own homes does not mean they can afford the 25 per cent of the cost they are required to pay.
I ask the Minister of State to look at the grant scheme. At a time when the economy is flourishing it is particularly stingy if we cannot ensure that people with disabilities who need a grant to adapt their homes do not receive the amount they require. The amount involved is small and any local authority which does not have enough money to fulfil these needs should be allocated the necessary funding. This issue should be examined in the context of the forthcoming budget.
