Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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662. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the importance of personal alarm systems for elderly persons, if he and his Department are in the process of expanding the roll-out of the personal alarm schemes and are currently working with technical companies to devise a way of linking the alarms in question to mobile telephones, instead of sole reliance on a landline telephone service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46045/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Seniors Alert Scheme aims to encourage community support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The Scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department.

To date, my Department has only approved applications for personal monitored alarms connected to a landline. Personal monitored alarms are now available using mobile technology and my Department is currently examining these alternative systems including any resource implications. It would be a matter for the sponsoring community group to satisfy itself that a system using mobile technology provides reliable coverage in its area.