Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
663. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the application of a person (details supplied) as the applicant found it necessary to arrange for the works to be carried out in advance of the grant being paid as it was an emergency but the local authority refused to pay out the grant; if he will review the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37126/23]
View answerMy Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include 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 my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. The detailed administration of this scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation, is the responsibility of individual local authorities.
The framework for the operation of the scheme is laid down in statutory regulations, namely the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) Regulations 2007, the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with Disability) (Fixed Track Hoists) Regulations 2023. A grant may be paid under these regulations where, in the opinion of the local authority, it considers the works reasonably necessary to facilitate the needs of the applicant.
In order for the relevant local authority to determine whether the works are reasonably necessary, a completed application must be submitted by an applicant prior to the commencement of any works, to allow the relevant local authority to inspect the property and confirm that the works are eligible for grant funding. In exceptional cases my Department recognises that there may be an urgency to commence works prior to formal grant approval issuing. In such circumstances, where a local authority has been afforded the opportunity to inspect the property prior to any works commencing, grant approval may, at the discretion of the local authority, issue retrospectively where they are satisfied that the works were necessary and that they needed to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
Individual applications are solely a matter for the local authority in question.
