Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
845. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how a person in a situation (details supplied) can qualify for a local authority disability grant for the adaptation of their bathroom. [37560/23]
View answerMy Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to support the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability which support older and disabled people living in private houses to adapt their home to meet 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 Regulations that underpin the statutory basis for the operation of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability provide that the applicant must occupy the house as his or her normal place of residence on completion of the works. The administration of the grants scheme, including the assessment, approval and prioritisation of grant applications under the various measures, is the responsibility of each local authority. Having considered all of the circumstances in any particular case, it is a matter for the local authority to determine grant eligibility.
The grants available operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. The schemes are means tested and grant assistance is not available to applicants whose household income, after disregards and deductions, exceeds €60,000 per annum. The household income approach is intended to spread the benefits of the grant scheme as widely as possible and to ensure fairness and value for money in operation of the scheme towards those with the greatest needs. Local authorities, in administering the scheme, work with qualifying applicants to secure the most beneficial outcome possible in line with the applicants' financial circumstances and within the parameters of the Grant Scheme.
Further details on these schemes is available at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/
