Vol. 543 No. 1
204 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the assistance or schemes available to persons who are 40 years old and disabled, and who sell their existing homes, to purchase new houses adapted to their needs; the maximum grant for alterations to a house being built; if the grant amount is available towards the cost of the house; and if any other scheme could assist. [25841/01]
A grant of generally up to £10,000 is available from local authorities to assist disabled persons with the expenditure incurred in making necessary modifications to a new house – less than 12 months old – where works commenced on or after 6 December 2000 and the applicant had not previously obtained a disabled person's new house grant. My Department recoups two-thirds of the grant paid, up to a maximum of £6,666. It is also open to local authorities to pay a higher level of grant than £10,000, subject to not exceeding 90% of the approved cost of the works.
The maximum local authority grant in respect of the adaptation on extension of an existing house to meet the needs of a disabled person is generally up to £16,000. Again, this attracts two thirds recoupment from my Department, up to a maximum £10,666, and local authorities may in some cases pay a higher level of grant, subject to not exceeding 90% of the approved costs of the works.
Both grants schemes are available to disabled applicants or in respect of disabled members of a household regardless of age.
