On behalf of the Rural Independent Group I want to thank gach éinne a raibh ag obair go crua inné agus a rinne sárobair san ospidéal i Loch Garman. We support the ongoing efforts there, which included Irish Red Cross units and the likes of Kenneth O'Connell and others from as far away as Tipperary town. That is the spirit of the meitheal that we like to see and hopefully all will end well.

Often times when we discuss the disaster of housing policy in Ireland, we focus on the plight of the homeless, first-time buyers and renters. Today, however, I wish to highlight the plight of a vulnerable cohort of our population that is also caught up our housing crisis, those being our elderly and people with disabilities, who rely on grant assistance to upgrade, adapt or repair their homes. The importance of the housing aid for older people grant, the mobility aids grant scheme and the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability, which enable people to live independently in their homes for longer, cannot be overstated. These grants have improved people's lives and well-being in the past and have seen them have long and happy lives at home but unfortunately, the grants are outdated and way behind what they should be.

First, the grant ceilings have not been increased in 13 years, despite the unprecedented increase in construction costs. The rising costs of materials and the shortage of skilled labour in Ireland are putting the cost of these upgrades and associated essential works beyond the reach of the recipients of these schemes, who the schemes are designed to assist, and that is very serious. Second, there are considerable waiting times for people waiting for grant approval nationwide, which is keeping people out of their homes until these essential adaptation works are completed. Today, 14% of our population are in the over-65 bracket, which will go up to 23% in the coming years. Therefore, these grants will be increasingly crucial for a growing cohort of individuals and their respective families to ensure our nursing homes and hospitals are not overwhelmed. That is the urgency of the matter. Third, the fixed-price grant rates for housing adaptation grants are no longer fit for purpose. The maximum grant levels are €8,000 under the housing aid for older people grant; €3,000 under the mobility aids grant scheme; and €30,000 under the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability, and these have not been increased for over 13 years.

The costs of building, labour and materials have increased as we all know. Therefore, I demand that these grant schemes be urgently reviewed with a drastically increased maximum grant rate. I fully support the calls by disability groups for the grant ceilings to be doubled, which would result in a maximum grant aid of €60,000. People want to do these works, they are happier in their homes and they have better health and life expectancy outcomes in their homes. We need to have realistic figures so that people can do these grant schemes and apply for the grants in a timely manner.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Tá an ceart aige arís; caithimid gach aon rud gur féidir linn a dhéanamh ó thaobh na daoine is aosta agus is sinsire sa tír seo a chabhrú ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta de. Tá an Rialtas ag díriú air seo agus táimid ag cur níos mó áiseanna ar fáil do na bardais aitiúla ar fud na tíre. We have allocated substantial resources to housing and housing need more generally. I am familiar with many of these grant schemes and I think they have been effective. Many people have used them to good effect; for example, senior citizens have used them for adaptation. There is a wide continuum for adaptation; it can involve fairly basic provisions to enable mobility around the house with stairlifts and things like that or it can involve the conversion of bedrooms and shower facilities, including downstairs, to prepare for the future.

I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to review the grant thresholds. These are thresholds and in many instances people will not have to use the maximum amount available, depending on what they are applying for. It is the objective of the Government to keep people in their homes for as long as possible and to prevent falls in homes, for example. The Government wants to ensure that those with disabilities have independent living and that the wherewithal is there to facilitate that through capital works, adaptation programmes, independent living assistance and other supports of that kind. The Deputy has identified three grants, including the housing aid for older people grant, the mobility aids grant scheme and the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability. I will go back and get the precise numbers but, depending on the local authority, there has been a consistency of use of these grants on an annual basis. The Deputy is raising the fact that with increased costs and so on, the gap between the grant and the cost of a particular adaptation is making it too challenging for people to avail of the grants in the first instance. I will ask the Minister to review those thresholds in the context of the next budget and to take on board the issues that have been raised in that respect.

I agree that the grants have been good and widely availed of but times have surpassed them. Due to increased energy, material and labour costs, people cannot get the work done within the schemes. The eligibility is also too low in the first instance - it has not moved on in 13 years, as I said.

Ireland is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which places a serious onus on its signatories to fully recognise equal rights for all persons with disabilities to live in the community and have equal choices to others. We have obligations under that convention. I understand the crisis in housing but this is an area where we must keep people in their houses and out of nursing homes and hospitals. We must keep them happier in their homes and nearer to neighbours, friends and family.

All we want is a tweaking of the scheme because it has not been tweaked in 13 years. The eligibility levels have not increased, first of all, to avail of it, and then the amounts granted and matching are nowhere near catching up to where they should be. There are huge shortfalls of perhaps, €10,000, €12,000 or €15,000. Quite frankly, people with disabilities and elderly people cannot get that money.

We adhere to and support the UN human rights aspect the Deputy articulated. There has been progressive decongregation over the years, which has sometimes been controversial, as we seek to ensure people with disabilities can live in their communities and homes. It is extremely important that we continue with that, although we must do it sensitively and in full consultation with families. Over the past two decades, there has been substantial de-institutionalisation in the entire disability sector. Into the future, the objective is to facilitate people living in the community. There have been very good schemes in which that has been organised and facilitated. Likewise, we must provide the necessary supports for people living in their own homes. With regard to the grants, the Deputy raised the issue of eligibility thresholds for those who may be excluded from availing of this. Local authorities always prioritise medical needs in the allocation of funding under these grant schemes. We will continue to keep these matters under review.