Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 477: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the format a person, details supplied, in County Kildare must adopt to obtain a personal alarm or a house alarm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22084/05]

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 the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on an annual basis.

To apply for assistance, individuals should contact a local voluntary and community group and request that it make an application on his or her behalf to the Department. A list of approved participating groups in 2004 is available on the Department's website at http://www.pobail.ie.

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 and €150 in respect of security lighting; and in 2004, I introduced a grant of €50 in respect of smoke alarms. Funding is not available for conventional intruder alarms under this scheme.

In response to suggestions from older people and their representatives, the 2005 scheme was announced earlier than in recent years. Advertisements were placed in the national and provincial newspapers in the week beginning 11 April 2005. The closing date for applications under the scheme was 24 May, 2005.