Clare TD Tony Killeen has confirmed the state will allocated €1.8m to the Health Service Executive (HSE) Western Area to carry out essential repairs to homes occupied by elderly persons living on their own.

The grant aid, provided under the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly (SHAE) Scheme, will enable works to be carried out on the homes of thousands of applicants.

Mr Killeen said that the €1.8m allocated to HSE West this week was the largest under the scheme’s allocation for 2009.

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Elsewhere, €700k was allocated to HSE Dublin/North East, and €500k was provided to HSE Dublin/Mid Leinster and HSE Southern.

"I was delighted to receive confirmation of the allocation from my colleague Housing Minister Michael Finneran. The funding under the scheme allows for work to be carried out in homes at a minimal cost to the state, allowing older people to live in their own homes for longer, which is what this Government wants to encourage as much as possible," said Mr Killeen.

Since the introduction of the SHAE scheme in 1982 over 85,000 households have had repairs carried out to their homes.

Over €155m has been provided for the continued operation of the scheme during the last 10 years assisting over 55,000 households in that period.

"The distribution of the latest round of funding throughout the four HSE regions is a matter for the HSE," added the TD.

(PR/JM)