Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
471. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the funding allocated to the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027, broken down by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35252/23]
View answerMy Department jointly published the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 with the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) in January 2022 and jointly published the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 Implementation Plan on 22 June 2023. The Strategy and Implementation Plan may be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/60d76-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027/
The Strategy and Implementation Plan will operate under the framework of Housing for All-A New Plan for Ireland (published in September 2021) which provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum. The Plan is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including disabled people.
Housing for disabled people is funded under the capital schemes for local authority housing such as Social Housing Capital Investment Programme (SHCIP) and the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF). In addition, the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) provides funding of up to 100% to Approved Housing Bodies for the provision of independent living accommodation to meet the needs of people requiring specific categories of needs, including disabled people.
The Capital Assistance Scheme, for which €137m is provided in 2023, will be among the key measures to support the delivery of housing for disabled people under the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027.
My Department also provides funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. The Grant Scheme assists eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. Capital funding of €66.5 million is available in 2023 for payments to local authorities for expenditure incurred on these grants.
