As the Deputy may be aware, the special housing aid scheme for the elderly is administered by the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Local Government which fund it.
The guidelines for the operation of the scheme are determined by a task force which is chaired by an officer of the Department of the Environment and Local Government. All statistical information on the scheme is collected by the Department of the Environment and Local Government, and it has supplied the following information about applications on hand as at 30 June 2001. It has no information on the average length of time a person might wait to get on the waiting list. Eastern Regional Health Authority, 1,801; Midland, 795; Mid-Western, 1,519; North-Eastern, 1,284; North-Western, 637; South-Eastern, 892; Southern, 749; Western, 2,491. This gives a total of 10,168.
In the interests of elderly persons whose housing conditions are improved under the scheme, it has, since its inception, been administered with flexibility and a minimum of formality. However, over the years health boards have evolved a priority list to ensure that the most urgent cases are dealt with as quickly as possible, within the terms of the guidelines. Typically, aid is available for necessary repairs to make a dwelling habitable for the lifetime of the occupant. In 2000, the scheme was extended to include the provision of suitable heating systems where found necessary, to meet the needs of elderly persons.
The community care departments of the health boards operate the scheme, using various mechanisms to carry out the work, including contractors, FÁS, and a grant-based approach whereby the applicant employs the contractor.
Additional InformationHealth boards have been requested by the task force to use a combination of approaches, with the most suitable being applied as appropriate in individual cases.
The scheme itself is extremely effective. Between 1982 and the end of 2000 more than 42,000 cases have been dealt with. A further 2,288 jobs have been completed in the period January to June 2001, the latest date for which figures are available, an increase of 33% on the same period last year, and 2,360 jobs are under way. An increase of 24% in applications has also been recorded. There has been an unprecedented level of demand for the provision of heating systems since it was introduced in February 2000, with 429 applicants provided with such facilities in the balance of that year and 649 to June 2001.
In recognition of the valuable work being done, funding for the scheme has been increased significantly since 1997, with a provision of £4 million, 5.08 million, in that year raised to £5 million, 6.35 million, in 1998; £6 million, 7.62 million, in 1999; £8 million, 10.16 million, in 2000; £8.65 million, 10.98 million, for 2001. The allocations to the boards are determined by the task force from the funding available and are based, not on the geographical spread of the population, but on the statistical returns received from the health boards showing the level of activity within the area, the actual number of applications on hands and the estimated cost of these applications.
In 2001, £8.65 million was allocated to the boards as follows: health board allocation: Eastern £1,280,000, 1.625 million; Midland £920,000, 1.168 million; Mid-Western £1,150,000, 1.460 million; North-Eastern £1,008,000, 1.280 million: North-Western £700,000, 0.889 million; South-Eastern £950,000, 1.206 million; Southern £1,000,000, 1.270 million; Western £1,650,000, 2.095 million.
