Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I totally agree. This has been a great scheme. I thank the Government for the allocations to date. When I was a councillor in Kildare, we looked at other schemes. One of those was a public light or a light outside the door for people in rural areas, and we gave some funding from the LPT towards that. It was very beneficial. That is the type of scheme I would like to see included under the seniors alert scheme to ensure that older people, particularly in rural but also in urban areas, have that bit of security, whether it is a light, an alarm or assistive technology. We should keep our minds open, as the Minister of State said. Many schemes are being administered by local authorities, including in Kildare. They have benefited so many people, whether it is the house alarm or the additional light outside the door so they can see who is out there. The scheme really has been beneficial. Indeed, it has been life-saving for many people. Given the open mind that the Government has, I hope it can look at other schemes and other areas to ensure that older people have the quality of life they deserve, and that they all should have in their golden years.

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