Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 November 2023
54. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline his Department is working towards in publishing annual housing adaptation grant waiting lists, in view of the commitment in the Housing Options for our Ageing Population policy statement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48914/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. This scheme assists eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.
The Housing Options for an Ageing Population policy statement includes a commitment by my Department to work closely with local authorities to review the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme and the waiting lists in place for adaptations and publish this data on a yearly basis to identify any barriers and gaps at local and national level and help to streamline the process to ensure timely intervention.
My Department developed a new recoupment claim form which was implemented by local authorities on a phased basis throughout 2022. The new form captures data on the date a valid application is received, approved and paid by a local authority. This will allow the Department to calculate the average length of time that it will take a local authority to approve valid applications and issue grant payments over the 12 month period of 2023 taking account that local authorities submit recoupment claims in batches at various stages throughout the year. This approach will ensure that all local authorities are correctly represented in the resulting data to be available for publication by early 2024 in respect of 2023.
