Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
300. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is considering allowing disability allowance to be disregarded for the purposes of the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44633/23]
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 Grant, which are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.
The schemes are means tested and operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. Payments such as Disability Allowance, Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit or Non-Contributory Pension are not disregarded as they are income subsidies paid directly to an individual, and are therefore assessed as income under the means test in line with the regulations.
Housing for All commits to reviewing the grants scheme and a report on the review has been prepared by my Department. The review was informed by engagement with external stakeholders, including the Department of Health, the HSE, the Disability Federation of Ireland and the Irish Wheelchair Association. Written submissions were also invited and considered as part of this process. Among the areas which the review considered are the income thresholds (including the means test provisions) and grant limits, and the application and decision-making processes including the supplementary documentation required.
On foot of my consideration of the Review report, my Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on the recommendations in the Review report, and this engagement is ongoing at present.
