Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
767. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if grant-aid is available to support families to construct a granny flat for older members of their families to prolong and prevent their admission to care homes or hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19775/21]
View answerThere is no dedicated grant scheme available from my Department to provide accommodation for older people in the circumstances set out by the Deputy. However, in accordance with settled Government policy my Department is committed to supporting older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence for as long as possible, as this has the best outcomes both for the individual and for society as a whole. Where an older person has a disability they may apply to their local authority for funding to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants includes the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People, which are 80% funded by the Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. The scheme is focused towards lower income households with the greatest needs and a means test applies to the scheme in order to achieve fairness and value for money in its operation.
The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability assists people with a disability to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried out. Grants of up to €30,000 are available for works including the provision of access ramps, stair lifts, accessible toilet and shower facilities, wheelchair access and extensions.
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 etc.
The Mobility Aids Grant 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.
The detailed administration of the grants, including the assessment, approval and prioritisation of applications, is the responsibility of the local authorities.
In addition to the above, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, is developing policy options for supported housing/housing with care so that older people have a wider range of accommodation choices available to them in accordance with the principles of the joint policy statement, "Housing Options for Our Ageing Population". This policy statement was published by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Department of Health on 27th February 2019. The policy statement is available on my Department's website at:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/special-housing-needs/older-people/housing-options-our-ageing-population-policy-statement.
The overall aim of the 40 Actions in the Joint Statement is to put policies in place to ensure that older people have a variety of housing options available to them depending on their circumstances, including housing with supports, where they are needed as well as more independent living. An Implementation Group with an Independent Chair is tasked with oversight of the implementation.
My Department and the Implementation Group are examining these options and a number of research projects are feeding into this work. It is intended that the Implementation Group will provide its final report addressing each of the 40 actions by the end of 2021.
