CALL US 0598640287 mark.wall@oir.ie
Senator Mark Wall
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Are you registered to Vote?
  • Contact
Contact Us
  • Home
  • /
  • Uncategorized
  • /
  • Housing Schemes

Housing Schemes

October 12, 2021 markwalllabour@gmail.com No Comments Uncategorized


I welcome the Minister of State to the House to address what I feel is an important matter for many people in this country, especially those in my county, Kildare. I am sure that, like me, the Minister of State has assisted many people and families with what has always been a worthwhile grant. The grant has made such a difference to the day-to-day lives of so many older people and families with medical issues who needed assistance with the quality of life of their loved ones. Over the past year, many families have found themselves unable to afford the work which is recommended in the context of these grants and which can make people’s lives so much better. Rising building costs have practically stopped many people from being able to access these grants. An urgent review of the grants must be carried out. In recent months, my office has received an increasing number of calls from people. Many are at their wits’ end and are asking for help for their loved ones who, in some cases are still in hospital waiting for the promised work that can bring them back home, where they and their families want to be.

As I said recently in the House, in one case, the cheapest quote that the person dealing with my office received was more than 200% above the maximum grant payable, which is €30,000. The quote that person sought was for the works recommended by the local authority’s occupational therapist. The person had engaged with five different contractors to try to get a cheaper quote but could not achieve that. There are many similar cases. Another issue is that more and more builders are demanding that the cost of the grant be paid up front because they cannot afford to wait on the council payment system. With so few builders now completing council work, families have no option but to borrow from where they can in order to secure these building services and get the work done. This puts added stress on families who need our help rather than finding themselves under more pressure.

Another issue relates to the means test for older people, where the private pensions that they worked hard for all their lives are reducing the amounts they are offered via the grant. They are turning to family members or credit unions to try to fund the difference. The type of works involved will allow members of our older population to remain in their homes where they want to be. Too many of our older population find themselves unable to access a grant which, at their time of life, is essential to their well-being and which, as I have said on countless occasions, is needed for all their work and contributions to the State over many years.

These issues are having a knock-on effect. In some cases that I am dealing with, the applicants have to remain in hospital because the family cannot afford the cost of the works to bring them home. In an ever-increasing number of cases, people can no longer continue to live in their own homes and this is causing an additional cost to the State through the nursing homes scheme. In many cases, I turn to another arm of the State and try to engage the community welfare officer service to see if it can come up with the difference to secure these payments and ensure that grants are paid. These issues are causing much stress, as the Minister of State can imagine.

I know that staff dealing with these grants are inundated with queries from worried applicants, fearing that they will not get work done on their homes. We need to provide additional resources to local authorities to cover the administration of these grants. The ever-increasing waiting times for some of these grants are a worry, both at the beginning of the process and when payment is due. I have raised the need to create permanent posts in our local authorities rather than the contracted positions that seem to be on offer at present. We need to offer staff security in these positions, which will have a knock-on benefit in the context of these grants.

Time is not the friend of many of these families. There is an urgent need for a revised grant. I know from previous discussions and replies to parliamentary questions from my Labour Party colleagues that a review will be carried out by the end of the year. I ask the Minister of State to speed up this review to change these life-changing grants now and allow those who need these grants the most the benefit of works that will change their lives for the better.

Share:
prev post next post

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • 8/3/23 – Silent Sidelines
  • 8/3/23 – Energy Prices
  • Silent Sidelines campaign needed to stop referee abuse
  • CONFUSION OVER EVICTION BAN HIGHLIGHTS GOVERNMENT HOUSING FAILURE
  • Short hop zone update: Rail travel Kildare

Recent Comments

    Categories

    • ADHD (2)
    • Athy (4)
    • Autism (5)
    • Castledermot (1)
    • Childcare (4)
    • Community (4)
    • Defence Forces (1)
    • Education (8)
    • Energy Prices (1)
    • Family (7)
    • GAA (2)
    • Housing (3)
    • Kildare County Council (1)
    • Medication (1)
    • Pension (1)
    • Public Transport (2)
    • Soccer (1)
    • Social Welfare (2)
    • South Kildare (4)
    • Tourism (1)
    • Transport (6)
    • Uncategorized (107)

    Recent Posts

    • 8/3/23 – Silent Sidelines

      March 12, 2023
    • 8/3/23 – Energy Prices

      March 12, 2023
    • Silent Sidelines campaign needed to stop

      March 6, 2023

    Archives

    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Footer logo

    Spokesperson on Defence, Tourism and Sport. Working for you, your family and your community

    CONTACT US

    If you have any issue concerning you please contact us

    Address: Office 15, Leinster Street, Athy
    Phone: 0598640287
    Mobile: 0833341488
    Email : mark.wall@oir.ie

    Twitter

    Facebook

    Website Design by Irish web services. All rights reserved

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT