Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
600. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to significantly increase the disabled persons grant allocation to County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7019/26]
View answer607. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of funding allocated to each county council for housing grant schemes, in the years 2022 to date; when the thresholds to qualify were last revised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5481/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 600 and 607 together.
My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist those in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for 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 local authority. The detailed administration of the scheme including assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment is the responsibility of local authorities.
Budget 2026 provides an increase of €30 million for the scheme, with almost €130 million in Exchequer funding available for the Scheme, or over €152 million when accounting for the local authority contribution. This significant increase in funding will support the payment of some 17,000 grant claims as well as the implementation of the revised grant limits, income thresholds, and increase in the Exchequer contribution from 80% to 85%. This additional €30 million in funding is in line with commitments in the Programme for Government – Securing Ireland’s Future and Delivering Homes, Building Communities and ensures the continued year-on-year increases in funding for the grant scheme since 2014.
My Department works closely with the local authorities to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of available funding. This means that any underspends that arise on the part of any local authority can be redistributed to other authorities which have high levels of grant activity and my Department makes every effort to redistribute such funding throughout the year.
My Department will issue notification shortly of each local authority’s allocation for 2026 under the scheme. Importantly, all local authorities can commit up to 75% of their 2025 allocation when approving applications to be paid in 2026 ensuring a seamless transition of the schemes remaining open from year to year.
Details of the allocations and drawdown for the years 2022 to 2024 are available on my Department's website at the following link:
The total funding drawn down by local authorities will be available on my Department’s website in early 2026.
My Department completed a review of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme in 2024, including a review of the Means Test, and the Report on the Review is available on the Department’s website at the following link: [(www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/report-on-the-review-of-the-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/]).
The Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People) Regulations 2024, which came into effect on 1 December 2024, provide the legal basis for the introduction of the recommendations set out in the review. The key changes include an increase in the grant limits of over 30% and the income thresholds by 25% whilst also revising the means test. The legislation also adjusts the burden sharing for local authorities by reducing the local authority funding contribution to 15% (from the previous 20%).
