Ireland's Housing Minister Michael Finneran has announced an €79.56m allocation for adaptation grants aimed at improving private homes owned by older people and the disabled.

Minister Finneran said: "These schemes are vitally important in assisting older people and people with a disability to continue to live in their own homes and communities with the dignity that they deserve."

The Minister said he was very encouraged by the high level of activity under the grant schemes last year.

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"The increases in funding I made available ensured that record numbers of applicants under these grant schemes availed of grant assistance."

Local authorities paid 12,094 individual grants to private houses under the schemes in 2008 and carried out works of adaptation to 1,323 local authority rented dwellings, a total of some 13,417 houses adapted.

In addition, funding of €3.5m has been made available under the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme in 2009.

The housing department said this should enable the Health Service Executive to process the small volume of outstanding applications under this scheme.

Since 1997 almost €652m has been spent on the Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability and the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme.

"This represents over 120,000 older people or people with a disability who this Government have assisted in remaining in their own homes and in their own communities," said Minister Finneran.

(PR/JM)