Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 586: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will provide assistance to the elderly people availing of the emergency response phone from community alerts here (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22852/08]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Grants in respect of personal alarm systems are available for senior citizens as part of my Department's Scheme of Community Support for Older People.

Local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department administer the Scheme. Individual applicants must be 65 years of age or over and have a genuine need for the security equipment.

A maximum individual grant of €300 is provided under the Scheme in respect of the once-off installation cost of socially monitored alarms. The private commercial suppliers engaged by the community groups charge the ongoing monitoring costs that usually arise with such alarms. I understand these costs are of the order of €80 per annum per individual, which equates to approximately €1.50 per week.

Given that the Scheme has benefited in excess of 100,000 older people to date, the cost to my Department of providing funding for all such monitoring costs would be considerable. I have no plans, therefore, at present to introduce a subsidy in regard to the monitoring costs for socially-monitored alarm systems.