Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 26 Jun 2001

Vol. 539 No. 1

Written Answers. - Local Authority Funding.

Jimmy Deenihan

Ceist:

303 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will make the necessary finance available to Kerry County Council to pay out disabled persons and essential repairs grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18735/01]

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

My Department's involvement with funding for the disabled persons and essential repairs grants schemes relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. The grant schemes are funded at local authority level from the authorities' own resources and within the amounts included for that purpose in the local authorities' own estimates of expenditure.

Recoupment by the Department to the local authority is two thirds of the grant paid. I have increased the amount of recoupment payable to local authorities under these schemes. In November 1998, local authorities were recouped 50% of grants paid up to a maximum of £4,000 for the disabled person's grant and £900 for the essential repairs grant. Since then they have recouped two thirds of the amount of grant paid, up to a maximum recoupment in each case of £10,667 and £5,000 respectively.

Overall expenditure limits are set for these schemes in the form of capital spending allocations from the Department and are based on estimates of demand for the schemes provided by the authorities. It is, of course, open to a local authority to seek a higher allocation in the event of increased demand under the schemes. However, an increased capital allocation for these schemes would not, of itself, allow increased expenditure by a local authority without a corresponding upward revision of the authority's own estimates of expenditure.