Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 508: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will fund the maintenance costs of monitored alarms fitted for the elderly. [19093/05]

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. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department.

Resources are directed to providing equipment to those older members of the community in need of such assistance and who have not already had the equipment installed. The scheme provides maximum individual grants of €300 in respect of the once-off installation cost of socially monitored alarms, €150 in respect of door locks, window locks and door chains, €150 in respect of security lighting, and in 2004, I introduced a grant of €50 in respect of smoke alarms.

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. I have no plans at present to further extend the scheme to fund the maintenance costs of socially-monitored alarm systems.