Many disabled people cannot get a grant to make their homes more disability-friendly because local authorities do not have the money to support an assistance scheme, the Labour Party claimed today.
The Disabled Persons Grant Scheme is administered and one-third funded by local authorities with the remainder coming from the Department of the Environment. It provides money for making home renovations such as installing ramps, replacing baths with showers and lowering switches to increase disabled people's mobility.
Labour spokesperson on social and family affairs Mr Willie Penrose said today that because of demand, authorities were using up their allocation for the scheme before the end of the year. He described the situation as a "national scandal".
"Many local authorities are . . . simply unable to meet the demand for grants even in cases of severe hardship," he said.
The party is to table a motion before the Dáil tomorrow which proposes putting the scheme on a statutory basis in a bid to give the disabled "the resources to enable them to live their lives with some dignity".
Mr Penrose said: "The problem is that there is no statutory entitlement to the grant and the payment of it is at the discretion of the local authority."
He also said the maximum level of the grant should be increased from just over €20,000 to at least €30,000. The Westmeath TD is also calling for funding to address the backlog in applications.
The Department of the Environment is reviewing the scheme.