Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
575. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the action his Department takes to ensure that the housing conditions for elderly persons is of a suitable standard (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24784/16]
View answerWhile my Department has no direct role in reviewing the living conditions of elderly persons in private homes, the provision of social housing to meet the accommodation needs of older people, and other people with specific categories of need, is a particular focus of my Department and is funded for the most part under the Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme. Projects are implemented by approved housing bodies working with local authorities and funding of up to 100% of costs can be provided. In addition, my Department supports local authorities in the development and improvement of specific accommodation that the authorities themselves provide for older persons.
I am also acutely aware of the social benefit accruing from the continued independent occupancy in their own homes by older people and people with a disability. For that reason, my Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist households to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their homes. The grants are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of each local authority. The Housing Aid for Older People Scheme provides grants of up to €8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out.
Grant-eligible works include structural repairs or improvements, re-wiring, repairs to or replacement of windows and doors, provision of water supply and sanitary facilities, provision of heating, cleaning, painting, etc. The Mobility Aids Grant Scheme is available to fast track grants of up to €6,000 to cover a basic suite of works to address the mobility problems of a member of a household. Qualifying works include the provision of stair lifts, level access showers, access ramps, grab rails and some minor adaptation works.
Given the importance of housing adaptation and other grants that help older people live comfortably in their own homes for longer, my Department is committed, under Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, to explore how the process of accessing these grants can be streamlined and simplified into the future.
My Department oversees the housing needs assessment undertaken by local authorities to capture the social housing requirements of older citizens. Current housing legislation requires local authorities to classify any specific accommodation requirements of a qualified household where one or more household member is aged 65 years or more. This information is collated as part of the statutory summary of social housing assessments.
In addition, my Department is also responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities. The scheme provides funding for the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of Pobal.
Furthermore, Part M (Access and Use) of the Building Regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. The requirements of Part M underpin the principle of Universal Design, which is defined in the Disability Act 2005 as “the design and composition of an environment so that it may be accessed, understood and used to the greatest practicable extent, in the most independent and natural manner possible, in the widest possible range of situations and without the need for adaptation, modification, assistive devices or specialised solutions, by persons of any age or size or having any particular physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual ability or disability”.
My Department has ongoing contact with other Departments and State bodies with regard to the areas outlined above, including with the Department of Health as lead Department in respect of the National Positive Ageing Strategy.
Contact with local authorities in relation to the implementation of these actions is also a continuous feature of my Department’s work, in particular in relation to the provision of new sheltered housing for older people and the carrying out of improvement works to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their homes by older people.
