Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 29 May 2001

Vol. 537 No. 2

Written Answers. - Housing Aid for the Elderly.

Seán Ryan

Ceist:

288 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the support which is available for an elderly person living alone in a house which was constructed in 1977 without a chimney and who now needs to install central heating in his home. [15805/01]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

Last year I extended the terms of the task force on special housing aid for the elderly scheme to include, where appropriate, the provision of heating systems. Under the task force, which is operated by the health boards, necessary basic repairs and improvements are carried out to the houses of elderly persons. In the interests of elderly persons, it has, since its inception, been administered with a minimum of formality and it has been an objective to avoid formal procedural and other requirements. Works are, in appropriate circumstances, carried out at no cost to the applicant.

In addition, there are a number of options currently available to assist lower income households and elderly persons, in particular, to secure necessary improvement works to their houses. These include the local authority house improvement loan scheme, the disabled persons and essential repairs grant scheme and the improvement works in lieu of local authority housing scheme.

Since coming to office I have introduced significant improvements to the terms and conditions of the disabled persons and essential repairs grant scheme. The effective maximum grant available under the disabled person's grant scheme has increased from £8,000 to £16,000 with the grant covering up to 90% of the approved cost of the works compared to two-thirds previously. In addition, I have increased the maximum grant available under the essential repairs grant from £1,800 to £7,500. I also allocated record funding of £8.658 million to the Task Force on Special Housing Aid for the Elderly in 2001. These improvements have allowed local authorities and health boards to extend the type of work that can be undertaken in individual cases, particularly in regard to the provision of heating systems.

In the case of a local authority house the management, maintenance and improvement of their existing dwellings, including the installation of central heating, is the responsibility of local authorities to be defrayed from their own resources. Where capital funding is provided under the remedial works scheme to assist authorities to carry out major essential works to designated estates, the installation of central heating in dwellings may form part of the works undertaken.