Pensioners forced to wait a year for repairs

VULNERABLE pensioners in Cork and Kerry are being left to wait an entire year for basic but essential repairs to rundown homes due to a lack of funding for a Government scheme.

Despite an extra €1.6 billion in Government coffers, only an extra €600,000 is being provided across the country for housing aid for the elderly. To make matters worse, in some areas there is a six-month backlog of applications for assessment.

The scheme, aimed at helping over 65s to meet the costs of replacing doors and windows, install dry lining, heating and other small-scale, yet important, work in their homes, was described yesterday as being “chronically under-funded.”