Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its long title shows that it is a piece of omnibus legislation: Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs). The act provides legislation for the provision of grant aided adaptations for disabled persons' properties within the UK. This is covered in part 1 Chapter 1. The aim of this part of the Act is to allow for provision of adaptations to disabled persons' homes to reduce both the need for people to relocate to facilities which provide full-time  care and to reduce the amount of care needed in people's homes. One way this is provided for is in the provision of stairlifts allowing people to continue use of bathroom facilities in the upstairs of their homes. Local authorities may carry out the work either through provision of money to the applicant or through an agency service. Where an agency service is offered grant applicants are not obliged to take this up in order to receive a grant. In order for adaptation's to be provided an occupational therapist is usually required to carry out an assessment of  the needs of the applicant. A grant can be used for adaptations to give better freedom of movement into and around the home and/or to provide essential facilities within it. Examples of the work which may be covered by this assistance are: The maximum mandatory values of works is £30,000 in England; however the local authority can use discretionary powers released through a later RRO to increase the value of works. Construction industry. Part 2 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 relates to payments in the construction industry. This part was later amended by Part 8  of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (LDEDC Act). Under section 109, a construction company with a contract lasting 45 days or more is entitled to interim or stage payments at agreed stages as the work progresses. The frequency of interim payments is to be agreed between the parties and the value of each interim payment will reflect the value of the work completed to date as determined by the project manager or cost consultant and stated in an interim certificate, less an agreed retention percentage. The official summary of the changes made by the Local Democracy , Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 states that: Architects' Registration. Part III of the Act, relating to architects' registration has been repealed and was re-enacted as the Architects Act 1997, under the Parliamentary rules for consolidating Acts. Housing action trusts. Section 144 provided for the disposal of the assets of a housing action trust on its dissolution.