Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 November 2020
215. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding provided to each local authority for the disabled persons grant and the older persons grant schemes in each of the years 2011 to 2020, in tabular form; the estimated corresponding figures for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35996/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding every year for the Disabled Persons Grant (DPG) scheme and the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. While both schemes are administered directly by the local authorities they operate independently with separate funding streams, the main differences being the type of properties eligible for funding and the level of local authority contribution.
DPG funding is provided for adaptations and extensions to existing social housing stock to meet specific needs of the local authority tenants with a 10% contribution required from the local authority, while the Housing Adaptation Grants address specific needs of older people and people with a disability in privately owned homes with a 20% contribution required from the local authority.
A total of €18 million has been made available under the DPG scheme for 2020 and Preliminary allocations totalling €13.5 million have issued to local authorities. It is open to local authorities to apply for additional funding for contractual commitments not covered by their preliminary 2020 allocation and a contingency fund has been set aside for this purpose. Details of the funding provided by my Department to each local authority under the DPG scheme, from 2011 to 2020 are available at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/grantsfinancial-assistance/disabled-persons-grants-and-improvement-works-lieu-schemes.
For 2020, total funding of €73.75 million has been provided for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme for private houses. Details of the funding provided for the grants up to 2019, are available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
An overall funding package of €93 million will be available in 2021 for the carrying out of home adaptation works for both private and social homes, thereby facilitating people with disabilities and older people to continue to live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.
