2026-01-22

143. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional funding will be made available to local authorities in 2026 for housing adaptation grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4932/26]

156. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when Sligo County Council will receive its 2026 funding allocation to enable the reopening of the urgently needed housing adaptation grant scheme, which has been paused for several months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4424/26]

I do not know how many times I have been here asking about housing adaptation grants. It is a huge facility to be used, particularly for those with disabilities or acquired disabilities, sometimes through old age. We know thresholds have been changed and also amounts. I would still say the system is not fit for purpose. Every local authority runs out of money, stops taking applications and then there is a bit of a minor disaster every year. This is about a system that is fit for purpose and will actually deliver for those who really require it.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 156 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. This 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. The Exchequer funding available for these grants in 2025 was increased substantially by €25 million to €99.5 million, or over €117 million when accounting for the local authority contribution. Sligo County Council received an Exchequer allocation of almost €1.8 million, an increase of 35% on the original allocation in 2024. My Department works closely with 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 with high levels of grant activity. My Department makes every effort to redistribute such funding throughout the year. If a local authority requires additional funding in any year, it can submit details to my Department in order to be considered for increased funding, subject to availability from savings in other local authorities. During 2025, my Department considered and approved two additional funding allocations totalling €453,670 from Sligo County Council, bringing the total Exchequer allocation for 2025 to over €2.24 million. The total funding drawn down by local authorities in 2025 will be available on my Department's website shortly. While additional Exchequer funding may become available, the local authorities must provide the match funding from their own resources and therefore the local authorities are also managing the scheme within the resources allocated at the local level. Local authorities now contribute 15% in conjunction with the 85% Exchequer allocation, compared to the previous higher percentage of 20%. This reduction in local authority contribution is one of the reforms implemented under the revised scheme introduced on 1 December 2024. My Department advises local authorities annually that, as far as practicable, a percentage of the allocation under the schemes should be ring-fenced in respect of any emergency applications which might arise under these schemes during the course of the year. 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 continued implementation of the revised grant limits, the income thresholds and the 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 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.

I suppose I got some of the answers anyway. I recognise that. The situation facing the council housing adaptation grant schemes in Sligo and Leitrim is now critical. In 2025 the council budgeted €2.4 million to support older people and people with disabilities to remain safely in their homes yet the allocation fell far short of what was required. That forced the council to seek an emergency top-up payment of over €240,000 in July, funding that could only cover priority 1 cases. As a result, the scheme has been paused for months. Meanwhile, six months worth of already approved grants remain unfunded and the council is still awaiting the 2026 allocation. The delay is preventing essential home adaptations that allow people to live with dignity and independence. The housing adaptation grant is one of the most impactful, cost-effective supports the State provides. Every euro invested keeps people out of hospital beds, out of long-term care and in their own homes where they want to be.

The issue I have, which happens every year, is that there is an insufficient amount of money to cover the grants at this point of time. The fact that secondary and tertiary allocations have to be made shows this is a particular issue. That is only one of them; the other particular issue is that there has to be an allowance for those who need a greater level of works done such as where there are children with extreme mobility issues who have got older. We probably also need to look at how all this is delivered. It is not just about the figures. Sometimes it is from the same pot as regards the housing adaptation grant, the disabled persons' grant and the housing for older people grant, which is absolutely vital for windows, doors, etc., but it should not necessarily be from this for the same fund. There needs to be interaction with the HSE; I am not saying it falls completely on the local authority. We need to find the means for those who require far more substantial work to be done to allow people to live in their own homes. I am particularly talking about those with severe disabilities and mobility issues.

By way of information and to be consistent, I will give Deputy Ó Murchú an indication of the funding for Louth. He did not ask this specifically, but I want it to be consistent with the information for Sligo. During 2025, my Department considered and approved an additional funding allocation of €150,000 for Louth County Council, bringing its total allocation to €2.8 million for 2025. Louth County Council drew down this allocation in full. The total funding drawdowns by local authorities will be available on my Department's website shortly. I say to Deputy Scanlon that there were two requests for additional funding from Sligo County Council. They were both approved and the full amounts on both occasions were spent. Some local authorities are not spending their full allocation. That is something I am conscious of. We look to redistribute to local authorities that are spending. Louth and Sligo both fall into that category. The scheme announced in December made many changes. We increased the income and the grant limits. We brought in increased allowances. I was directly involved in it myself. At the time, I was no longer the Minister of State with responsibility for local government, but I worked on it with officials prior to that point. I, like everyone else, recognise it is hugely important. The disabled persons' grant has been increased to €40,000. The Deputy might provide detail on the specific individual cases and we may be able follow up on those. The core point is that we have increased the funding. There is a 30% increase this year. The contribution from local authorities has gone from 20% to 15%, which means the contribution from the local authorities has gone down, but the State is contributing that directly. This is a hugely important grant scheme and something the Government has prioritised. The allocation for 2026 is €130 million, which will assist 17,000 people.

We all welcome any increase in the amount of money people can get. We all know that construction costs have gone through the roof. However, are they fit for purpose as regards the figures as they exist at the minute? No, they are not. Work needs to be done for those who have severe mobility issues, for example a child who gets older and has more specific needs. There needs to be a review not only of the adaptation grants provided but also in relation to housing. I know of people whose adaptation grants have been approved, but technically they cannot actually deliver it because they do not have the space within the confines of the house. I know of people who need to change their house on the basis of their children's needs. It would be a lot easier if they were actually in social housing. They may have bought a house from the local authority at one stage before these circumstances arose and now they are under pressure with clawback they have to give back. They will not be able to afford the type of house that is required for the child. The whole thing needs to be reviewed. It does not just fall on the Department of housing. The HSE also needs to do a piece of work.

I genuinely welcome the extra allocation of funds to the local authorities for the provision of those grants. As I said earlier, the work done paid for by those grants is keeping people out of hospitals and nursing homes. I know of a number of cases where people have left nursing homes to go back home because of the funding that was made available to improve their living conditions at home. I appeal to the Department to immediately approve the grants to Sligo and Leitrim county councils for the full 2026 budget including provision for the outstanding 2025 commitments as well. I welcome the extra funding.

We hope to be in a position to announce the allocations for 2026 shortly. As I said, we have increased the funding this year by €30 million, a 30% increase, one of largest increases in any spending items, because it is of such importance. Again, it feeds into keeping people living at home independently. Deputy Ó Murchú mentioned particular cases and he might come to me with them. They may involve multiple agencies. However, we have ensured that people on lower incomes are getting 100% of the housing adaptation grant. That was 90% under the old scheme. The housing adaptation grant for disabled people has been increased to €40,000. The housing aid for older people grant has been increased to €10,700. The mobility aids grant is €8,000. This point is worth repeating. The local authorities are entitled to commit up to 75% of their 2025 allocations for improvement applications to be paid in 2026. There is no reason applications cannot proceed. The funding allocation for 2026 will be announced shortly by the Department. Furthermore, we want to see local authorities spending the money allocated to them. Louth and Sligo came back in for further funding.

They should get more.

We very much understand. Sligo came back in twice and Louth came back once. The message is that the Government is very much committed to giving this extra funding of €30 million. We want to see local authorities spending that money, which will make a real difference to people's lives in their homes.