Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 174: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the provision which has been made in the Estimates 2006 for locks, alarms and so on for pensioners through local voluntary groups; the categories of pensioners who will be eligible; and if the scheme will be placed on a year-round basis. [35981/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Provision is made for grants for community and voluntary service under subhead K1 on my Department's Vote as published in the 2006 Abridged Estimates Volume. A total of €37.134 million — an increase of 9% on the corresponding 2005 allocation — has been provided for a number of programmes including the scheme of community supports for older people — under which funding for security devices for older people is made available. The final allocations between the programmes operated by my Department under this subhead will be published in the Revised Estimates Volume.

The scheme is open to people aged 65 and over who have a genuine need for assistance under this scheme and is administered by community and voluntary organisations throughout the country on an annual basis with support provided by my Department. Having a closing date for receipt of applications allows my Department to assess the amount of funding sought under the scheme in a given year and ensure that the funding available is distributed as equitably as possible to all applicant organisations, be they small wholly-voluntary operated or larger well resourced organisations.