Housing Aid for the Elderly.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2008

Tuesday, 1 July 2008

Questions (511, 512)

Tom Hayes

Question:

578 Deputy Tom Hayes asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of funding allocated to South Tipperary County Council or to south Tipperary residents through the Health Service Executive every year since 2000 for various housing grants including planned allocations for 2008; if she will provide this information as a table, including figures for housing aid for the elderly, mobility grants scheme, housing adaption for people with disabilities, housing aid for older people and people with a disability; and the amount that was allocated to south Tipperary for these funds as a total each year and including the planned figures for 2008. [25774/08]

Tom Hayes

Question:

579 Deputy Tom Hayes asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of applicants for housing aid for the elderly from the south Tipperary area every year since its creation; and the number of successful applicants. [25775/08]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran)

I propose to take Question Nos. 578 and 579 together.

The Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme is currently administered by a Task Force under the aegis of my Department and operated at a local level by the Health Service Executive. Funding is provided to the Health Service Executive on a regional basis and it is a matter for the HSE to apportion funding within regions. Details of the allocations made available to the former South Eastern Health Board and current HSE South region, which includes South Tipperary, in the period specified are set out in the following tables:

Health Board	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
South Eastern	€1,031,027	€1,206,250	€1,310,086	€1,284,000	€1,920,000	€2,660,000	—	—	—

Health Service Executive	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Southern	—	—	—	—	—	—	€4,800,000	€3,498,000	*€3,000,000

*Initial allocation for 2008.

Capital allocations for South Tipperary County Council during the same period in respect of the old Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes and the new Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for Older People and People with a Disability, which became operational on 1 November 2007, are set out in the following table:

South Tipperary County Council	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Capital Allocations	€770,524	€1,097,044	€2,074,825	€972,255	€1,981,521	€1,537,123	€1,690,228	€1,323,593	€1,343,550

It is a matter for the local authority to decide on the specific level of funding to be directed towards each of the schemes, from within the combined allocation notified to them from my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their area from within this allocation.

The detailed information sought on localised activity under these schemes, including decisions on individual applications, is not available in my Department.