Mary welcomed the announcement from the Minister for Housing increasing the funding for the Housing Adaptation Grant earlier this month.

The funding will help older people, and people with disabilities living in private houses.

The increased funding continues to support home adaptations for older people, people with a disability and people with mobility issues. It will enable older people and people with disabilities to remain living independently in their own homes for longer should they wish and will also facilitate early return from hospital. 

Grants of up to €30,000 are available to assist people with a disability in carrying out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs, up to €8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out and up to €6,000 for mobility aids to address mobility problems for a member of the household.   The grants also create employment opportunities for builders and local businesses and help reduce the dependency on our health services by supporting independent living for as long as possible.