Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. The senior alert scheme aims to support older individuals living securely and independently within their communities by providing free, personal monitored alarms. These alarms offer reassurance and immediate assistance in emergencies, enhancing the confidence and peace of mind of the elderly population. While the senior alert scheme has been instrumental in promoting safety among older adults, the effectiveness of the personal alarms is contingent on reliable network connectivity.

Following the recent storms, I want to paint a picture of somebody who had the independence of living alone but who relied on the security of their personal alarm. They were perhaps waking up at night to find the lights and the heat out and could hear the damage being done outside. On getting up and, unfortunately, having a fall or a mishap, they went to the alarm to find there was no response to it. That situation was replicated across most of the west, where phone and mobile networks went down during that situation.

This limitation may result in alarms failing or not functioning correctly during critical moments and undermining the purpose of the scheme. With that in mind, I call on the Minister to consider the possibility of introducing multinetwork SIM cards as a standard within these personal alarms. This would enhance connectivity and the capability to ensure that personal alarms maintain functionality even in areas where single-network coverage is inadequate or should there be network issues like those that happened recently. It would increase reliability, giving peace of mind to those using the alarms, and also increase the coverage capabilities, potentially opening this up to more people.

The Department has supplied over 120,000 of these alarms to individuals in the last ten years, so it has been a resounding success, but that does not mean we should rest on our laurels. We need to adapt and learn from recent mistakes. We need to introduce something that prevents situations where these alarms do not work. To ensure the continued effectiveness and reliability of the seniors alert scheme, it is imperative to adopt multinetwork SIM cards as a standard component of the personal alarms provided. This integration will address current connectivity challenges, offering older people greater security and confidence in their ability to access emergency assistance when needed. By embracing this enhancement, the seniors alert scheme can better fulfil its mission to support older individuals to live securely in their homes, thereby promoting independence and well-being within our ageing population.

I compliment all of the community groups that are registered with Pobal for the distribution of these alarms.