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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 3

Written Answers. - Housing Aid for the Elderly.

Pádraic McCormack

Ceist:

656 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when funds will be made available to Galway City Council and Galway County Council for housing grants, repairs for the elderly, essential repair grants and disabled persons grants; if his attention has been drawn to the fact there is an extensive waiting list in both local authorities for these works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19861/02]

Local authorities receive a total combined annual capital allocation from my Department in respect of the disabled persons and essential repairs grant schemes and house purchase and improvement loans. Galway City Council received an allocation of €700,000 and Galway County Council received an allocation of €2,603,000 for 2002. The allocation of funds between the various schemes is a matter for individual authorities in the light of local circumstances.

Apart from these allocations, my Department's involvement with funding for the disabled persons grant and essential repairs grant schemes relates primarily to the recoupment of up to two-thirds of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. The grant scheme is 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. While it is open to a local authority to seek a higher allocation from my Department in the event of increased demand under the schemes, an increased capital allocation would not, of itself, allow increased expenditure by a local authority without a corresponding upward revision of the authority's own provision for expenditure under the schemes.

In recent years, the amount of recoupment payable by my Department to local authorities has increased significantly. Since 2 December 1998, the effective maximum grant available under the disabled persons scheme doubled from €10,158 to €20,320 and the rate of recoupment to local authorities increased from 50% of grants paid to two-thirds of grants paid and. In relation to the essential repairs grant, prior to 2 December 1998, local authorities were recouped 50% of each essential repairs grant paid up to a maximum of €1,143 in each case. Since that date two-thirds of the amount of grant paid is recouped, up to a maximum recoupment of €8,467 in each case.
I am aware of the significant level of increased activity in relation to these schemes in the Galway City and Galway County Council areas. In line with the increase in the Department's provision for the disabled persons grant and essential repairs grants scheme, the recoupment to Galway City and Galway County Councils has also increased substantially. Last year the Department recouped to Galway City Council €445,905 in respect of 65 disabled persons grants and €14,417 in respect of three essential repairs grants compared to €127,591 in respect of 42 disabled persons grants in 1998. Galway City Council did not pay any essential repairs grants in 1998. Galway County Council was recouped €1,056,779 in respect of 155 disabled persons grants and €615,311 in respect of 156 essential repairs grants in 2001 compared with €223,573 in respect of 83 disabled persons grants and €21,713 in respect of 19 essential repairs grants in 1998.
The special housing aid for the elderly scheme, administered by a task force under the aegis of my Department and operated by the health boards, was established to provide assistance to improve housing conditions of elderly people living alone in unfit or unsanitary conditions. Funding is made available on an annual basis to the health boards for the operation of the scheme.
Galway County Council has contacted my Department regarding the raising of a loan to facilitate payment of its contribution of one-third of the cost in respect of disabled person and essential repair grants already paid or approved and not yet paid for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. A decision on this will be made shortly.
Question No. 657 answered with Question No. 654.
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