Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 608: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his proposals to provide funding for the replacement of obsolete personal alarms for senior citizens (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34620/04]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The purpose of the scheme of community support for older people is to encourage and assist the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Funding under the scheme can be provided for small scale security equipment designed to strengthen points of entry to the dwelling; for security lighting and for the once-off cost of installing socially monitored personal alarm systems.

Where socially monitored alarms, or security equipment, previously installed under this scheme are broken or defective and are outside the guarantee period, a limited amount of funding is available towards the cost of replacement. Applicant groups were requested to supply a separate list of all such cases in their application form indicating when the previous alarm was supplied and the reason for its proposed replacement. The group in question did not supply this information. However, if the required information is supplied, my Department will be happy to reconsider the application.

As outlined in the scheme guidelines, the replacement of alarms which remain fully functioning would not be considered simply because of their age or because of claims of obsolescence by the supplier.

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 610: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the organisations that are providing security lights for the elderly under the security for the elderly grant scheme in the Dublin area for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1247/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The scheme of community support for older people encourages and assists local support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Funding under the scheme can be provided for small scale security equipment designed to strengthen points of entry to the dwelling; for security lighting and for the once-off cost of installing socially monitored personal alarm systems. In 2004 the scheme was expanded to include smoke alarms.

The scheme is administered by community and voluntary organisations throughout the country with support provided by my Department. Any local voluntary or community-based organisation especially those working with or providing support for older people can apply to the Department for funding under the scheme. Before applying, the applicant organisation should satisfy itself that it has the capacity and is in a position to meet the conditions associated with administration of the scheme as set out in the guidelines.

Following is a list of organisations in the Dublin area which received funding to date under the 2004 scheme. The 2005 scheme will be advertised in the coming months.