Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2019
663. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of funding allocated and drawn down for housing adaptation grants in each local authority in 2018 and to date in 2019; and the projected increase in funding for this purpose for 2020, 2021 and 2022. [21629/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation on the allocations to each local authority under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability in private houses, for 2018 and 2019 is publicly available on my Department’s website, at the following links -
For 2018: https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/special-housing-needs/minister-english-announces-eu6625-million-funding-improve-homes-older.
For 2019: https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/special-housing-needs/older-people/minister-english-announces-eu7125-million-funding-improve.
Information on the grants paid in 2018 by the local authorities is also set out on my Department’s website, at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
The following table contains details of the 2019 exchequer funding drawn down in respect of these Grants, up to the end of April this year. These amounts do not necessarily represent what each local authority has spent, as funding may have been spent but not yet claimed from my Department. Also, the amounts shown for exchequer draw down, are topped up by each local authority's own 20% contribution.
|
Local Authority |
Exchequer draw down up to 30 April 2019 |
|
Carlow |
€176,966 |
|
Cavan |
€0 |
|
Clare |
€134,746 |
|
Cork County |
€683,544 |
|
Cork City |
€175,000 |
|
Donegal |
€314,034 |
|
Dublin City |
€2,127,787 |
|
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown |
€258,375 |
|
Fingal |
€398,532 |
|
Galway County |
€182,332 |
|
Galway City |
€233,536 |
|
Kerry |
€424,090 |
|
Kildare |
€19,228 |
|
Kilkenny |
€104,554 |
|
Laois |
€0 |
|
Leitrim |
€35,133 |
|
Limerick |
€348,108 |
|
Longford |
€60,413 |
|
Louth |
€0 |
|
Mayo |
€394,668 |
|
Meath |
€436,202 |
|
Monaghan |
€497,569 |
|
Offaly |
€0 |
|
Roscommon |
€191,053 |
|
Sligo |
€283,586 |
|
South Dublin |
€579,627 |
|
Tipperary |
€539,004 |
|
Waterford |
€342,057 |
|
Westmeath |
€92,458 |
|
Wexford |
€637,136 |
|
Wicklow |
€0 |
I am conscious of the benefit accruing from the schemes, particularly in terms of facilitating older people and people with a disability, to remain living independently in their own homes. This is recognised in the Programme for Government and as a consequence, funding has been increasing year on year since 2014. As part of the annual budgetary process, consideration will be given in future years to increasing further the funding for these Grants in line with both Rebuilding Ireland and the Government's Policy Statement on Housing Options for Our Ageing Population, which is also available on my Department's website at the following link: https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/housingoptionsforanageingpopulationeng_web.pdf.
Over the course of each year, my Department works closely with all local authorities, to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of the available funding. As the year progresses, any underspend is redistributed to those local authorities with high levels of grant activity who sought additional funding.
