Cabinet due to sign off on measures to increase housing grants
Older people and people with a disability are set to be eligible for increased housing grants under measures to be signed off by the Cabinet.
A review of the housing adaptation grants overseen by Minister of State Alan Dillon has outlined a number of recommendations which would see an increase in grant limits, increases to the income thresholds, and amending the means test among other measures.
The measures are being brought forward by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien.
Grant limits will increase by over 30% and the income thresholds by 25% for those applying for support under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme.
The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability will rise to €40,000, the Mobility Aids Grant goes up to €8,000 while the Housing Aid for Older People Grant increases to €10,700.
The income threshold changes will mean that more people can access the grants.
There will also be significant changes to means testing for the grants.
It will see means testing assessing just the owner and their spouse, or the tenant and their spouse in rented accommodation.
Currently the means testing assesses the income of the owner, their spouse and all adult members of the household.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris will inform the Cabinet that he will bring the findings of the Dublin City taskforce to Cabinet within the next two weeks.
The Taoiseach will update ministers ahead of the publication of the North Inner City Strategic Plan 2024-2027.
The plan, which builds on the work of the Inner City Taskforce, will confirm additional installation of CCTV cameras will be rolled out in the inner city in areas where there is high anti-social behaviour.
The plan will also examine the provision of subsidies for primary school children to attend out-of school activities and clubs in addition to supports for the establishment of clubs for this age group.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is bringing a memo to Cabinet outlining how additional funding has enabled the State to fund 187 new hi-tech medicines to treat patients in Ireland since 2020.
Sixty-one of these are for the treatment of cancers and 54 are ‘orphan drugs’, used in the treatment of rare diseases.
The Minister will inform the Cabinet that spending on medicines has more than doubled from €1.3bn to over €3bn between 2012 and 2022.
This now represents nearly €1 in every €8 of public funding spent on health.
Article Source – Cabinet due to sign off on measures to increase housing grants – RTE
