The Housing Adaption Grant needs to be made "fit for purpose" according to Fianna Fáil.

Offaly County Council's Strategic Policy Committee on Housing is to put forward new proposals to improve the grant, which aims to make a home suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or mental health difficulty to live in.

Fianna Fáil TD for Offaly Barry Cowen said: "Currently there are many people in Offaly who need financial assistance to carry out accessibility works on their home. The Housing Adaptation Grant is used for this purpose, but unfortunately there is a long waiting list because the Government has underfunded the scheme in recent years.

-- Advertisement --

"It's simply unacceptable that people are left stuck on a waiting list despite the fact that they need assistance to allow them to continue to live in their own homes. The problem is getting worse as the waiting list is increasing by the month. My colleague Cllr Peter Ormond has brought forward comprehensive proposals to tackle this problem. He has briefed all Fianna Fáil representatives in Offaly on these proposals and it is clear that they are necessary and should be implemented without delay.

"The proposals centre on encouraging people to make use of the lesser known Mobility Aid Grant which can often meet all of their needs. To achieve this we want to increase the maximum amount of money available under the grant from €4,000 to €6,000 so that a greater amount of work can be covered by the scheme. Trained Occupational Therapists will be encouraged to promote this scheme when visiting patients."

(CD/LM)