The Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme has been cut by some €300,000 over the past three years, a move that will jeopardise senior citizens “living independently and securely”.
This is the view of Fianna Fáil Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív who has reacted angrily to figures showing that the Housing Aid for the Older Persons Scheme for Galway city and county has dropped from €1 million in 2010 to €774,550 this year; and that the number of grants in Galway has been cut from 284 to 221.
The figures emerged following parliamentary questions from Fianna Fáil.
“The Government has cut this support to the bone,” said Dep Ó Cuív. “This is despite the fact we have an ageing population meaning many older people across County Galway are not getting the support they need to live in the homes they have worked all their lives for.”
Dep Ó Cuív said this is “another local service” under threat due to cutbacks from the fine Gael-Labour Government. He accused Environment Minister Phil Hogan of “back-tracking” on his promise to ensure 80 per cent of the property tax collected by the Galway city and county councils goes towards local services in that area.
“The councils are under severe financial pressure at the moment,” said Dep Ó Cuív. “They will struggle to come up with their 20 per cent of the costs of housing aid supports. Yet the Government is now denying them income from the property tax that it promised would fund local services
