Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Deferred
Paragraph: 49
Set out full response and implementation timeline for the 2018 DFG External Review.
Conclusion
The Government-commissioned External Review of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in 2018 made several appropriate and valuable recommendations on DFG funding, eligibility, and the delivery process, based on comprehensive evidence. It is therefore deeply disappointing that the Government has not published a response to the Review and has not acted upon its main findings, despite prolonged calls for it to do so. The Government, in response to this Report, must therefore set out: • its response to each of the External Review’s recommendations in full; • what action it has already taken to address each recommendation in the Review since it was published in 2018; and • a timeline for the future implementation of each of the DFG reforms in line with those External Review recommendations which the Government accepts.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states it continues to fund Foundations as a national body for DFGs and will work with them on guidance and accessible information, but does not provide the requested full response to the 2018 DFG External Review or a timeline for its recommendations.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
49
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
25. The government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. DFG funding helps adapt around 55,000 homes annually, helping disabled people and their families to live independently and well in their own homes for longer, and reducing demand for health and social care support. 26. In 2018, an independent review concluded that key aspects were outdated and badly in need of reform. Several recommendations from the report were implemented, including through the 2022 publication of updated national DFG delivery guidance. This government is undertaking further reform of the DFG, as set out below, and will continue to consider the recommendations of the independent review as it does so. 27. Although the landscape has changed since the report was published, the government recognises that key challenges remain. 28. Additionally, in recent years the level of funding for the grant has not kept pace with inflation. This government is now taking action to ensure that the DFG grant is properly funded and fit for the future, so that more people can live well for longer in their own home. The government has: a. committed an additional £86 million funding for the DFG in 2024–25, on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. This brings total funding for 2024–25 to £711million. b. confirmed a further £711 million DFG funding for 2025–26. 29. Further details of action being taken on specific key recommendations are below. LUHC Select Committee Report conclusion: The £30,000 upper limit on individual DFG applications is sufficient to cover the cost of most DFG applications. However, the fact that the upper limit has not changed since 2008, despite recent rising construction costs, means the DFG does not meet the needs of some applicants whose adaptations cost more than £30,000. Consequently, a small number of disabled people who require more complex adaptations may struggle to afford to self-fund the home adaptations they need.
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