Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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2. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if budget 2026 allocated any additional funding to the senior alerts scheme; if so, if this includes an expanded list of equipment such as assistive technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68382/25]

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Given the importance of the seniors alert scheme to so many people, will the Minister of State confirm whether budget 2026 has allocated any additional funding to it, and if so, whether that includes an expanded list of equipment, such as assistive technology?

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his very important question and ongoing commitment to this particular area. When we were in the Seanad together, he raised this on many occasions. As he knows, our Department is responsible for the seniors alert scheme, which encourages community support for older people through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme for the purchase, by a registered community-based organisation, of a personal alarm or pendant. Since the scheme was launched in 2015, 156,488 participants have been approved for the alarms, including over 15,000 this year, and since 2015, 4,819 people from Kildare have availed of the scheme.

My Department is reviewing all aspects of the seniors alert scheme, including the technology and services available, and I hope to launch a new iteration of the scheme in 2026. Any new iteration of the scheme will take into account the learnings from recent weather events - we heard this morning about Storm Éowyn being the most googled term this year - and will also have regard to modern technological advancements to ensure the most reliable, robust devices available are procured.

The budget for 2025 is €3.2 million and this allocation has been maintained for next year, with additional funding allocated as necessary from the Dormant Accounts Fund. As the Deputy knows, the seniors alert scheme is a demand-led scheme and to date everybody who has applied to the scheme and meets the eligibility criteria has been approved. We and our officials in the Department will continue to monitor funding to ensure all eligible applicants can avail of the scheme.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State very much for his reply.

We are all aware of the importance of the seniors alert scheme. It has been a life-saving scheme for many people, not just in rural communities but also in urban areas. I am glad to hear that so many people have taken it up since it was launched in 2015, and that the Department is launching a new scheme in 2026.

In launching the new scheme in 2026, has the Department looked at those technologies we were asking about? The Minister of State mentioned weather alerts and so on. Unfortunately, much of that is dependent on electricity, and there have been outages. For older people in particular, when there is an outage and the electricity is gone, they have no contact with the outside world. That is where modern technologies need to play their part.

An important aspect of the scheme is the house alarm, which would give people security. The pendant is great, but it is about deterring those who might want to enter a house for illegal activity. A house alarm would benefit many people, particularly in rural areas.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy raises a pertinent point. The Department and its officials, in the review, are very conscious of new technological advances. However, the review will provide an opportunity to consider not just technological advancements but how to broaden the reach of the scheme to more vulnerable and older people. I will give the Deputy a flavour of it. The review has seen engagement with Pobal, telecoms operators, technology consultants and representative bodies for older people. In addition, on the Deputy’s point concerning the storm’s effect on electricity and broadband, the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, has been in consultation with Eir and ComReg on the replacement of the copper networks with fibre, which is another important part.

The one thing we want to do is keep the scheme broad and open. We must be conscious that we cannot do anything that, as the Deputy said, would regress the scheme or create uncertainty. There is an impact due to the broadening of technology. We have to work to make sure we do not negate the scheme for the people who require it more than anybody else.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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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.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I will take the Deputy’s point back, including the example he raised. What we envisage is that the scheme will take into account the use of modern technology to ensure that people who are vulnerable or older and require the alarm are not left isolated on regular days, or on extreme weather days where power and communications are down. An extensive consultative process is ongoing with the representative groups.

There is a potential impact given the replacement of the copper infrastructure, which is going to happen because it has to. We will have to phase that out, along with the use of remaining legacy devices. What we want to do, and are committed to doing as part of the review, is ensure that we include new technologies and broaden the target demographic, while ensuring there will be no negative impact due to what we do. The next iteration of the scheme will take into account the new advancements in technology and ensure that people who require the seniors alert alarm will have it. In particular, as the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I have discussed, it is important that during extreme weather events, people will not be isolated in their own homes.