The available information on the number of disabled persons and essential repairs grant applications received by each local authority is published in my Department's annual housing statistics bulletin. Copies of the bulletin are available in the Oireachtas Library.
For the years 2001 and 2002, the capital allocations made to Kildare County Council were €1,269,738 and €1 million, respectively. These represented the combined allocations for house purchase and improvement loans and the disabled persons and essential repairs grants schemes. The capital allocation for 2003 was €1,642,000 and represented the combined allocation for the disabled persons and essential repairs grants schemes only, which signified a substantial increase in funding.
My Department recoups to authorities two thirds of their expenditure on the payment of individual grants. It is the responsibility of the authorities to fund the remaining one third from their own resources from amounts provided for that purpose in their annual estimates of expenditure.
Allocations are made on the basis of demands made by each local authority and the amount of funding available to the Department. It is a matter for the local authority to manage the operation of the scheme in their areas from within these allocations, to provide for their one third contribution and to approach the Department for additional funding, if required.
With regard to 2004, Kildare County Council received a capital allocation of €934,000 in May. It subsequently sought an increase of €116,000, which was allocated to it on 9 September, to bring its total allocation for the payment of disabled persons and essential repairs grants in 2004 to €1,050,000. No further requests for increased funding have been received from the council in respect of these schemes.
Additional funding is available and if Kildare County Council applies, consideration will be given to its application in the context of overall demands. However, while it is open to a local authority to seek a higher allocation in the event of increased demand, an increased capital allocation would not, of itself, allow increased expenditure by the authority without a corresponding revision of the authority's own provision for expenditure on the scheme.
