Housing Adaptation Grants must keep in line with costs - Guirke

Sinn Fein TD for Meath West Johnny Guirke has called on the government to increase funding for adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities.

Speaking in the Dail this week, Deputy Guirke said:

"Last Monday May 1, the government announced its funding allocation for local authorities towards adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities which saw an increase of 2.3%.

"Unfortunately, this increase doesn’t go anywhere near the costs of works on homes as construction costs have risen by 30%, so this figure will see more applications from people sitting on desks.

"We are now into the fifth month of the calendar year, and this government is only releasing funding now, this is not acceptable for those waiting on work to their homes.

"It’s a disgrace to read in a paper that 32.5% of the housing budget hasn’t been spent in the first four months of the year, how can it be spent if you aren’t allocating the money for the grants.

I’ve spoken with the Local Authorities in Meath and Westmeath for constituents who are waiting a long time for works to be done following grant approvals, but they don’t have the funding available through this Government.

"An elderly woman who needs urgent work and was approved for it has to lift her 30 year old disabled daughter in and out of the bath, this is a disgrace.

"There seems to be no urgency with this government to do with housing, we see time and time again, people with disabilities and older people must fight for everything, and worse still we hear that this folder sat on someone’s desk for two months.

"Why are these grants not approved in January or February like previous years which would give local authorities 12 months instead of eight months to approve grants and get works done.

"The gap between construction costs and funding is too big, and something needs to be done to help older people and people with disabilities," he said.