COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, January 09, 2017

MOTION NO.6

MOTION: Councillor P. Foley

Can the rules that govern the “Housing Aid for Older People Scheme” be reviewed? The current rule states that works must not commence on a property prior to submission of an application form and written approval by the Council.

In cases where applicants have no choice but to carry out emergency works, to make their homes safe and habitable, the policy needs to be reviewed so that grants for essential works, such as those required for leaks or flooding, can be applied for retrospectively.

If this rule is governed by the Department and not the local authority, I would request that this council seeks this review at departmental level instead.

REPORT:

The current procedures as revised under the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme amended Administrative Regulations and application forms issued by the then Department of Environment, Community and Local Government came into effect from January 2014.

It clearly stated on the application form that works must not commence prior to written approval from the Local Authority and that applications are prioritised on the basis of the medical needs of the applicant and urgent application submissions are promptly addressed. This specific requirement was determined by the Department which provides the funding to the local authorities for the implementation of the Scheme. In this regard the Council adheres to this stipulation when processing applications for possible grant aid.

The Council Inspectors make inspections both to insure that works are not initially completed prior to submission and also to sign off on the completion of satisfactory work prior to payment. It would not be considered acceptable that payment be made without inspection procedures.

In the event of emergency cases the applicant may engage their contractor to temporary address urgent cases so that submission of a valid application can be duly made by the applicant.