Vol. 534 No. 5
130 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the criteria used to determine the priority in cases referred to health boards under the disabled person's grant scheme; if guidelines exist to which each worker is working to on individual cases; if the South Eastern Health Board will explain the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny, was classified as low priority; and if the report can be re-examined. [11248/01]
The provision of housing modification grants for people with physical disabilities is a matter for the Department of the Environment and Local Government and they are provided through the relevant local authority. The criteria for this scheme are set out in the Department of the Environment and Local Government's Housing (Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant) Regulations, 1993. The housing modifications-adaptations required vary according to the level of disability involved in each particular case. It is, therefore, necessary for a trained professional, that is, an occupational therapist, to identify the most suitable modifications which will allow the individual to function adequately within the home. Without these modifications, some everyday functions may be difficult or impossible to carry out due to the nature of the particular disability. Health boards are involved with these grants to the extent that an assessment of the individual case must be carried out by an occupational therapist from the health board, in order for the grant to be approved.
