Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 438: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when funding will be made available for socially monitored personal alarms under the scheme of community support for older persons. [30521/05]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 439: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason, once the closing date for applications for socially monitored personal alarms has passed, it is another 12 months before new applications can be submitted. [30522/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together.

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 through the provision of security devices including pendant alarms. The scheme is administered by community and voluntary organisations throughout the country on an annual basis with support provided by my Department. This process enables my Department to assess the amount of funding sought under the scheme in a given year to distribute available funding as equitably as possible to applicant organisations.

Given the nature of the scheme, my Department, where possible, exercises a degree of flexibility in regard to the advertised closing date. In addition, my Department will accept additional applications from groups during the period of processing of the group's application.

I approved the first tranche of funding under this year's scheme to 100 applicant groups earlier this month and the payment of grants to those groups has commenced. Details of the approved groups are available on my Department's website at www.pobail.ie. The assessment of the remaining applications is in progress and further approvals and payments will be notified toeligible applicant groups over the comingweeks.