The Government has drastically reduced the number of grants paid out for the Housing Aid for the Older Persons Scheme in Donegal since it came into power.
In reply to parliamentary questions from Fianna Fáil, the Government revealed the full scale of their cuts targeting older people in Co Donegal.
Once again, Donegal has suffered disproportionate cuts, with the number of grants reduced from 369 in 2010 to just 52 so far in 2013.
Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue explained: “The Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme is a vital support to help older people adapt their homes to their physical circumstances. The Government has cut this support to the bone, with the funding for these grants in Co Donegal cut from over €1.4 million in 2010 to €130,278 in 2013.
“The number of grants in Donegal has slashed from 369 in 2010 to 52 this year. This is despite the fact that we have an aging population so the demand will have increased. Instead, what we have seen is a rapid decline over the past three years, meaning many older people across Donegal are not getting the support they need to live in the homes they have worked all their lives for.
“The Government has failed to provide real resources to allow older people make the changes they need to continue living in their own homes for as long as possible. Many people require only modest supports to continue living independently and securely close to their families and friends. These cut backs jeopardise that.
“This is yet another local service that is under threat due to cutbacks from this Government. The Environment Minister Phil Hogan is back-tracking on his promise to ensure that 80% of the property tax collected by Donegal County Council goes towards local services in that area. Donegal County Council is under severe financial pressure at the moment, and along with everything else they will struggle to come up with their 20% of the costs of housing aid supports. Yet the Government is now denying this county the income from the property tax that it promised would fund local services”.
* The full Parliamentary Question (no: 111 and 112) can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/180VzfC. For reference, the national figures are contained in the figure below.
Housing Aid for Older People
Year
Total number of Grants
2010
7178
2011
6511
2012
4848
2013 (to end of October)
1739
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