I propose to take Questions Nos. 474 and 475 together.
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 Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People) Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 612 of 2024), which came into effect on 1 December 2024, provide the legal basis for the scheme as administered by all local authorities. My Department issues guidelines to local authorities to ensure the consistent operation of the scheme nationwide.
The grants available operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. The schemes are means tested and grant assistance is available to applicants whose assessed household income, after disregards and deductions, is up to €75,000 per annum. The household income approach is intended to spread the benefits of the grant scheme as widely as possible and to ensure fairness and value for money in operation of the scheme towards those with the greatest needs.
Applications may also be considered under the terms of the scheme if an applicant resides in a privately owned house where no tenancy agreement is in place. The applicant must occupy the home as their primary place of residence upon completion of the grant aided works.
The detailed administration of the scheme, including the assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment of individual applications, is a matter for the relevant local authority.
The schemes continue to be means tested, assessing the income of the registered owner(s), and, if applicable, their spouse, of a property which is the subject of an application.
