Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has a mandate in relation to communities, be they urban, rural, Gaeltacht or island communities. Many of our programmes and schemes focus on communities, particularly on those that are vulnerable, disadvantages or under threat. As well as communities that can be defined in terms of geographic location, the Department supports those that are defined on the basis of a common focus on a particular issue. While these programmes do not specifically provide grants to groups involved in the care of older persons to provide social activities, the following are some initiatives through which my Department provides support for and facilitates these groups and organisations in their activity.

Under the scheme to support national organisations, my Department provides multi-annual funding to a number of national groups towards core costs associated with the provision of services including services for older people. The following organisations were among those granted multi-annual finding for the period 2008 to 2010: Age Action Ireland Limited — €53,000 per annum; Irish Senior Citizens Parliament — €100,000 per annum; Active Retirement Ireland — €93,000 per annum; the Older Women's Network — €150,000 per annum; and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland — €106,000 per annum.

Under a joint CLÁR-HSE health measure, which I recently announced, funding is provided for various health projects, including the development, refurbishment and improvement of health centres, and the upgrading, refurbishment and equipping of day centres for older people.

Under the RAPID programme, funding is provided to support small-scale projects identified locally by the area implementation teams in each of the RAPID areas. Under the health sector co-fund, my Department and the Department of Health and Children provide funding through the Health Service Executive, to support small-scale health and community projects in RAPID areas. The 2008-09 scheme, for which funding of some €4.6 million is being provided, will focus on services and facilities for older people, namely, those over 65 years. The purpose of the scheme is to enhance and provide facilities that will enable older people to live independent lives. The health leverage scheme will assist with the implementation of projects as identified by the health sub-groups — operating under the health strategic theme — and endorsed by the RAPID area implementation team.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

While the rural social scheme, RSS, does not give direct grant aid to the types of groups referred to by the Deputy, it does provide support to a number of community groups nationally that are involved in activities such as meals on wheels, visiting the elderly and rural transport schemes. Through this work the RSS plays a significant role in providing real and tangible support to communities.

My Department also provides funding, on a pilot basis in seven areas around the country, for the evening rural transport scheme. Funding of €500,000 was pledged for this one-year pilot initiative. The scheme, administered by Pobal and operated on the ground by the Department of Transport by way of local transport providers, has proven very successful, and has been particularly welcomed by many older persons who use the service. Reports from the Department of Transport indicate that in excess of 60% of the people availing of the service are free travel pass holders, thus indicating the value of the scheme to older persons in the context of providing them with access to a wider range of social activities in their localities.

The programme of supports for local community and voluntary groups is designed to enable community facilities to be developed to enable greater use by people of all abilities. In addition to funding for the refurbishment of community centres and community owned facilities, the programme provides supports for equipping these centres and providing training to volunteers, staff and members of the communities.

My Department also implements the community support for older people scheme. This scheme does not provide for social activities directly but addresses their home security needs. The scheme covers the costs of socially monitored alarms, external security lighting and a range of household security affording the older person some degree of personal security to attend and participate in social activities.

Grants are available from the Sports Council fund for the promotion of sport and physical activities among older people.

See this speech in context