Grant Payments
Dail Éireann — 2026-10-01
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Eamon Scanlon (FF), Sligo-Leitrim

I thank the Minister of State. I have raised this issue a number of times. The position in Sligo is critical. Sligo County Council received €2.3 million in Exchequer funding for 2026, an increase of 30%, and I want to recognise that. In fairness, it was very much needed. Priority 2 housing adaptation grant applications, however, remain paused and new applications are being returned. The council has, I am told, sought additional funding, but the Minister of State said it has not. I fully accept that the most urgent, priority 1 cases must come first. However, we cannot have a situation whereby funding is sufficient only to deal with priority 1 cases when many of those in the priority 2 category also have substantial needs and are unable to apply.
Earlier this year, a total of 89 priority 2 applicants had been on hold since 2025, representing an estimated cost of €859,000. These grants make an enormous difference. They enable older people and those with a disability to remain safely in their homes, maintain their independence and, in many cases, avoid the need for more costly hospital or long-term residential care. I ask the Department to urgently approve Sligo County Council’s request, which it has not put in, for an increased Exchequer capital allocation, including additional funding to reopen the scheme to priority 2 applicants.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-10-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:01:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-10-01