AN INCREASE OF grant limits and income thresholds for Housing Adaptation Grants are set to be approved by Cabinet today.

A number of recommendations have been put forward by Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Alan Dillon following  a review of the grants. These include increases to limits and thresholds, as well as the amending of means tests, and the reducing of local authority contributions.

Grant limits are set to be increased by over 30%, while income thresholds will rise by 25%.

There will also be changes made to means-testing for the grants.

Under the new rules, only the owner of a property and their spouse, or the tenant and their spouse in rented accommodation, will be assessed.

Up to now, the income of the owner or tenant, their spouse, and all adult members of the household was assessed.

The report has also recommended that the funding contribution provided by local authorities be reduced from 20% to 15%.

Housing Adaptation Grants are available for people with physical, sensory, or mental health issues, or those with intellectual disabilities.

It provides funding to improve how people enter and move about their homes, including adding ramps, adding more space, and installing stair lifts or grab rails.

The current maximum amount available under the grant is €30,000 – this is reduced to €14,500 if the house is less than 12 months old.

Under the proposed changes, this will increase to €39,000.

The grant is not available to those whose gross annual income exceeds €60,000.