Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015
561. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the amount of funding allocated to each local authority for housing adaptation grants for elderly or disabled persons from 2008 to 2015; the number of persons who availed of the grant in each of these years; the average payment per recipient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17711/15]
View answerInformation on the funding provided by my Department to local authorities for the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/ by selecting ‘Social and Affordable Housing’, ‘Housing Adaptation Grants by Area 2008 to date’.
The average payment per recipient in 2014 was €3,234 for Mobility Aids Grants, €3,714 for Housing Aid for Older People Grants and €7,930 for Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability.
Exchequer funding of over €37 million was provided by my Department to local authorities in 2014 for these grants. Combined with an additional 20% contribution by individual local authorities, there was an overall spend last year of €46.3 million in this area. I am pleased to confirm that the 2015 amount will increase by some 10% to give a combined spend of €50.5 million. The 2015 allocations are currently under consideration in my Department and will issue to local authorities shortly.
