Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 April 2025
451. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the grants or financial support schemes available via local authorities to householders to specifically provide a sensory room or area in their homes for a family member with autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14989/25]
View answer475. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing adaptation grants, mobility grants and housing for older people grants approved and drawn down by Kilkenny County Council in 2021 to date in 2025 and regarding volume and value, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15324/25]
View answer476. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing adaptation grants, mobility grants and housing for older people grants that have been approved and drawn down by Carlow County Council in 2021 to date, broken down regarding volume and value, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15325/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 451, 475 and 476 together.
My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to administer the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, which support older and disabled people living in private houses to adapt their home to meet their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, are funded by my Department with a contribution from the resources of the local authority.
The Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People and the Mobility Aids Grant is available for the carrying out of works of adaptation that, in the opinion of the local authority, are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for a member of the household who has an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability. In general, these grant schemes can be used for works such as level access showers, accessible bathrooms, access ramps, stair lifts, fixed track hoists or extensions. These grant schemes do not include the provision of funding to develop a sensory room or area. Further details on these schemes is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability
Details of the number of claims paid and the amount spent by each local authority, including by Carlow and Kilkenny County Councils, from 2021 to 2023 are available on my Department's website at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
Details of the number of claims submitted to my Department by Carlow and Kilkenny County Councils for 2024 are set out in the following table:
|
Carlow |
Kilkenny |
|||
|
Grant Scheme |
Number of claims 2024 |
Value of claims 2024 |
Number of claims 2024 |
Value of claims 2024 |
|
Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People |
104 |
€874,589 |
90 |
€743,410 |
|
Mobility Aids Grant |
6 |
€17,498 |
7 |
€21,037 |
|
Housing Aid for Older People Grant |
300 |
€1,431,432 |
221 |
€853,018 |
|
Total |
410 |
€2,323,519 |
318 |
€1,617,465 |
Carlow County Council claimed a total of €135,430 in Exchequer funding facilitating the payment of 24 claims to date in 2025, the detail of which is set out in the following table:
|
Grant Scheme |
Number of claims 2025 (to date) |
Value of claims 2025 (to date) |
|
Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People |
5 |
€45,346 |
|
Mobility Aids Grant |
0 |
€0 |
|
Housing Aid for Older People Grant |
19 |
€90,085 |
|
Total |
24 |
€135,431 |
My Department has not yet received claims in respect of 2025 grant expenditure from Kilkenny County Council.
The detailed administration of these schemes, including assessment, approval and prioritisation, is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities. Details in relation to the number of applications approved or completed and paid (but not yet claimed from my Department) by Carlow and Kilkenny County Councils to date in 2025 are not available in my Department. This information may be available directly from the local authority.
