I want to raise housing adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities. The grants were announced last Monday, 1 May. I heard that this was waiting on the Minister's desk for eight weeks before it was signed. The grants have increased by 2.3%. According to today's newspaper, construction costs have gone up 30%. The same paper stated that 32.5% of the housing budget was not spent in the first four months of the year. How could it be spent if money was not even allocated to these grants for older people and people with disabilities?

I am dealing with a woman who has a 30-year-old disabled daughter. She is lifting her in and out of the bath. This is going on since late last year and I have called the local authority about these grants several times. It could not give the money because the Government had not released the funds. That is a disgrace, a pure and utter disgrace. All things to do with older people, people with disabilities and housing are a pure disgrace and do not seem to be priorities for this Government. When will these funds increase in line with construction costs?

We have delivered ahead of targets in respect of adaptation grants and we continue to invest significantly in this area. I do not accept the argument that the local authority could not release a specific grant to a specific individual because of such a lack. I do not buy that.

I have called the local authority several times.

There has been a consistent annual allocation and an increase in the annual allocation to this area. Local authorities know full well that there is a follow-through in funding which will enable them to deal with cases, such as the one Deputy Guirke raised. It did not stay eight weeks on anyone's desk.