SF aims to speed up housing grant processing times

A new bill brought to the Dáil by a local TD aims to speed up the processing of housing adaptation grant applications.

Sinn Féin’s Pauline Tully co-sponsored the Housing Adaptation Grant Bill, which was introduced to the Dáil last week.

“The purpose of this bill is to ensure that local authorities administering the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability shall, as far as it’s practical, process applications for the grant within a period of not more than four weeks from the date of receipt of the application,” she said.

Sinn Féin aims to speed up the application process, with delays said to cause distress for the people and families involved.

Deputy Tully says the issue has knock-on effects as it can lead to a delay in a person’s discharge from hospital. She claims an average of 9.5 delayed discharges from Cavan General Hospital between November 2019 and October 2020, leading to an average of 303 bed days lost every month.

“I am aware of one woman who is unable to use the bath in the house as a result of knee problems and therefore is required to wash herself at a sink or go to a relative’s home if she requires a shower,” said Deputy Tully.