On 16 January 2014, details were announced of a €38.4m capital allocation under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability . Every local authority received increased funding for grants compared to the 2013 allocations. The schemes are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the local authority. The allocation to Longford County Council under the grant schemes for 2014 is €744,467, of which €148,893 is to be provided from the Council’s own resources. The allocation to Westmeath County Council under the grant schemes for 2014 is €701,250, of which €140,250 is to be provided from the Council’s own resources.
Through careful management of my Department’s housing budget in 2013 , additional funds were made available to local authorities with high levels of grant activity. I will be applying the same scrutiny to the capital budget for 2014 and, in the event of savings arising these grants will be a priority for supplementary funding.
My Department also provides funding to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet the needs of tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Westmeath County Council and Longford County Council were recently allocated funding of €83,792 and €159,406, respectively, for such purposes this year.