To ask the Minister for Communities whether he intends to review the upper limits of the Housing Executive Disabled Facilities grant scheme.

On February 1st 2023, the “Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Grant Limit) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2023” came into operation which increased the upper limit on the amount of grant payable on award of a mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) from £25,000 to £35,000. This same amendment also increased the maximum amount payable on the discretionary component of the Disabled Facilities Grant from £25,000 to £35,000, increasing the total potential award payable from £50,000 to £70,000.

A Review of NIHE Administered Private Sector Grants, including the Disabled Facilities Grant, has recently been launched but is still in the early stages. This review will take a holistic view of the current operation of these grants and the upper limits are envisaged to be assessed as a component of this review.