Vol. 566 No. 3
422 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the criteria to be used by health boards when assessing a person for house repairs under the essential repairs grant scheme, in particular, the degree of ownership occupancy required to have the works carried out. [12720/03]
I assume that the question refers to the special housing aid for the elderly scheme, which provides assistance to improve the housing conditions of elderly persons living alone in their normal place of residence in unfit or unsanitary accommodation. It is administered by a task force under the aegis of my Department and operated on the ground by the health boards. Decisions to grant assistance in individual cases are the responsibility of the health boards at local level and it is a matter for each board to determine, within the funds available and having regard to the guidelines issued by the task force, the priority and urgency of individual cases on hand. The repair or maintenance of a house rented privately or from a local authority would be a matter for the owner of the house concerned.
