Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 January 2022
103. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rate of expenditure of funding from his Department for the provision or enhancement of housing for persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3193/22]
View answer286. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rate of expenditure of funding from his Department for the provision or enhancement of housing for persons with a disability per local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3210/22]
View answerMy Department provided funding of €31 million in 2021 facilitating over 3,800 grants under the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability scheme, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. Details of the allocations and drawdowns for all local authorities up to 2021, are available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
Funding for housing for disabled people is also integrated in the investment under the social housing capital delivery schemes, such as, the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), the Social Housing Capital Investment Programme (SCHIP) and the Capital Advance Leasing Facility Scheme (CALF) by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies. The provision of housing for disabled people is therefore primarily provided as part of broader investment programme in accordance with Government policy that housing for people with a disability must be provided in mainstream housing. My Department does not have collated figures on the funding related to disabled people under these broader schemes and programmes.
Since 2011 housing for disabled people has been addressed in a dedicated joint Strategy between my Department and the Department of Health. I launched a new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 on 14 January 2022, together with my colleagues Mr. Darragh O'Brien T.D. and Ms. Anne Rabbitte, T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Disability (available at
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/1c6c5-new-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027-launched)
The new Strategy sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, state agencies and others in delivering housing and the related supports for disabled people over the next five years. This new Strategy will operate within the framework of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland which is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including those with disabilities and older people. Preparation of an Implementation Plan for the Strategy will begin in the first quarter of 2022 with a target for completion by the second quarter.
