Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 494: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he has made under the Irish abroad scheme to assist elderly Irish people in the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11932/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The establishment and operation of the Irish Abroad Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs has greatly enhanced our capacity to develop and implement policies to support the Irish community in Britain, in particular elderly people and those at risk of social exclusion. This has been, and continues to be, the key priority of the Government's Emigrant Support Programme.

Britain is home to the largest and most significant population of Irish born people outside of our own island. They remain the recipients of the vast majority of the funding which the Government provides to assist our communities overseas. In 2007, total expenditure by the Department on emigrant support in Britain was almost €11.5 million.

In order to help further improve the range and quality of services offered to our emigrant community in Britain, I have recently approved the restructuring of the Government Emigrant Services Advisory Committee (Díon). The new Committee will be better regionally-balanced than heretofore, with its membership also continuing to reflect the wide range of experience, skills, dedication and involvement that has been the hallmark of past Committees.

The primary emphasis of the Programme's funding is on supporting frontline welfare services. The organisations funded provide a range of services for the elderly, ranging from informal community networking groups for senior citizens to outreach services and advice in accessing entitlements. This support is having a very tangible and positive impact, in particular on the lives of our vulnerable citizens.

The extension of RTE and TG4 television programming to our emigrant community in Britain has been a key goal of the Irish Abroad Unit since its establishment in 2004, and was included as a commitment in the 2007 Programme for Government. Following a series of meetings between the Unit, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and RTÉ, this service is now scheduled to be delivered by March 2009. It will provide the Irish abroad with a valuable link to home and will, I believe, be particularly welcomed by the more elderly and isolated members of our community in Britain.

Other helpful measures introduced by the Government include the extension of eligibility for the Centenarian Bounty to include all Irish citizens born on the island of Ireland and living in Britain and elsewhere, the availability of the contributory pension scheme for people with pre-1953 social insurance contributions, and the provision of free passports for persons over 65.

The €15.183 million allocated for emigrant services worldwide in 2008 is the largest amount ever secured for the Programme. As in previous years, the bulk of this funding will continue to be allocated to support our emigrant community in Britain, in particular the elderly and those at risk of social exclusion.