Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 55: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has had or proposes to have meetings with the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the telephone companies that provide land line services as a means of addressing the unacceptable cost to the senior citizen of the installation of a land line telephone service and thus the reason that many such senior citizens have not got security systems attached to their home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5592/08]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Officials in my Department have ongoing discussions with a range of groups concerned with the welfare and security of older people, including the Garda authorities and groups who administer the Neighbourhood Watch/Community Alert Schemes. However, my Department has no role in relation to the installation of landline equipment.

My Department operates the Scheme of Community Support for Older People. This scheme is designed to foster community support for older people through the provision of community-based grants that improve the security of people aged 65 years of age and over. Any locally based community and voluntary organisation working with older people can apply to my Department for funding. Funding is available for a range of security measures for older people under this Scheme, including measures which do not require a landline. Full information in respect of the scheme is available on my Department's website www.pobail.ie.