John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 230: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will provide details and guidelines for the personal alarm security pendants for old age pensioners; the number of personal alarm pendants issued to old age pensioners in counties Sligo and Leitrim for the years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005; if, in the event of damage to a pendant, the rules for granting a replacement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31103/05]

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. Funding under the scheme can be provided for door locks, door chains and window locks; security lighting; smoke alarms and the once-off cost of installing socially monitored personal alarms. The complete guidelines for the scheme are available on my Department's website, www.pobail.ie.

Details in respect of the groups and grants approved for security equipment, including socially monitored personal alarms, under the scheme for the year 2002 are available in the Oireachtas Library. The details in respect of grants approved under the 2003 and 2004 schemes are available on my Department's website.

I approved the first tranche of funding under this year's scheme earlier this month to some 100 applicant groups, including groups from counties Sligo and Leitrim. Details in respect of those groups are also available on my Department's website. Assessment of the remaining applications is in progress and further approvals and payments will be notified to eligible applicant groups over the coming weeks.

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 are 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.