I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 76 together.
Local authorities were notified of a combined allocation for the payment of disabled person's and essential repairs grants in June 2003. They were requested to contact my Department if their allocation was either inadequate or surplus to their requirements to facilitate the possible re-allocation of funds and to obtain optimum effectiveness from the funding available. Allocations which were surplus to the requirements of local authorities have now been re-allocated. In addition, some shortfall anticipated due to a fall in demand for shared ownership is being used to meet commitments for disabled person's grants in 2003.
Having regard to activity under the schemes, the number of disabled person's grants paid, for example, has increased from 2,455 grants in 1998 to 5,932 in 2002. The Exchequer commitment increased from €13 million to €52.6 million over the period.
The administration of the disabled person's and essential repairs grant schemes, including the processing of individual applications, is a matter for individual local authorities. My Department recoups to local authorities two thirds of their expenditure on the payment of grants. It is the responsibility of the authorities to fund the remaining one third from their own resources from amounts provided for that purpose in their annual estimates of expenditure.