Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 59 and 67 together.

In the period from 4 August 2009 to 5 May 2010, my Department received 648 applications for support under the scheme of community support for older people, CSOP. Of these, 511 have been processed in full and paid, while a further 37 are being processed and are expected to be paid in the coming week. Of the remaining 100 applications received, 85 have unresolved queries with the applicants, while the receipt in recent days of information on the other 15 will allow my officials to begin processing them shortly.

In general, where the documentation received with an application is in order, my Department can process and pay the grant within ten to 12 working days. Funding of €3.1 million has been provided in my Department's vote for the CSOP in 2010. Expenditure to the end of April amounts to some €580,000 and I am confident that sufficient funds will be available to meet the likely demand over the coming months.

The Deputies will be aware that my Department reviewed the operation of the CSOP last year. A copy of the review, which I published last week, is available on my Department's website, www.pobail.ie. A revised grant scheme was recommended on foot of the review and this will become operational on 24 May next. Further information on the revised scheme, which will be known as Seniors Alert, will be made available over the coming weeks. Details will also be made available on my Department's website. In the meantime, my Department will be processing all grant applications received up to 21 May under the existing scheme.

Deputies will be aware that the CSOP focuses on the provision of monitored personal alert equipment. Consultations undertaken with community and voluntary groups as part of the review process confirmed the value of personal monitored alert systems and did not identify a demand to extend the scheme to cover house alarms. Personal alarms can bring greater ease of mind to the user as they allow for direct two-way interaction with a monitoring station in the event of any concerns being raised. These systems can also be used to monitor other features such as the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide in the home. The provision of these services would not be possible with standard home alarm systems. Accordingly, it is not proposed to extend the provisions of the revised Seniors Alert scheme to cover house alarms.

I look forward to briefing Deputies in more detail over the coming weeks on the provisions of the revised scheme. I am happy to do that on a cross-party basis.

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