John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 71 and 325 together.

Deputies will be aware that I suspended funding for the scheme of community supports for older people earlier this year pending the completion of a comprehensive review of its operations by my Department. That review is now completed and is being considered. Pending the establishment of new arrangements, I lifted the suspension at the end of September to afford community groups the opportunity to apply for funding for equipment, particularly monitored personal alarms and monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. However, requests for other items of security equipment are being funded in the usual manner.

In order to facilitate the installation of equipment before Christmas, groups were advised that applications received before 21 October would be given priority. The scheme continues to receive applications and my Department will process as many as possible so that the funds provided can be fully drawn down by community groups to allow for the timely installation of equipment.

At the end of last week, some 300 applications had been received. Of these, 93 applications to the value of €240,000 have been approved and are either paid or in the process of being paid. These funds will provide equipment for 822 older persons. I estimate that applications in respect of a further 1,800 older men and women will be funded in the coming month. Applications received prior to the suspension of the scheme in respect of 3,695 older men and women were funded earlier this year. In total, some €1.5 million has been approved to date in respect of equipment for approximately 4,500 older people.

I have received a report of the review carried out by Department officials and will give consideration to its recommendations over the coming weeks. These focus on the need to reinforce the local community support ethos of the current scheme, to simplify the administrative arrangements and to take account of other developments since the scheme was introduced in 1996. Subject to available funds and with the co-operation of community groups, the current scheme will continue to process applications until a new scheme is introduced in early 2010.

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