Vol. 436 No. 7
128 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for the Environment if a grant of £8,000 is available for the provision of a granny flat as stated on RTE recently by one of the Ministers of State at his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I was referring, on the occasion in question, to the disabled persons grants scheme. Under this scheme, a housing authority may pay a grant for works of adaptation to or for the provision of additional accommodation in a house for a member of the household who is either physically or severely mentally handicapped or suffering from severe mental illness. The grant can cover up to two-thirds of the approved cost of the work in the case of a private house and the full cost in the case of a local authority house. Fifty per cent of the amount of the grant in each case may be recouped from my Department by the housing authority subject to a maximum recoupment of £4,000.
