Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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269. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funding made available in each year since 2011 for the provision of alarms, pendants and other security devices for the elderly under the relevant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43355/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages 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. Funding is available under the scheme towards the purchase of equipment by a registered organisation i.e. personal alarm and/or pendant and the associated monitoring and service charges are paid by the participant. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department.

My Department undertook to consider new approaches to the Seniors Alert Scheme in 2014 and arising from this, it was decided that the scheme be managed by Pobal, given that organisation’s significant experience delivering programmes on behalf of Government. The management and administration of the scheme transferred from the Department to Pobal on 7 September 2015.

This new approach will reduce the administrative burden for the many hundreds of community and voluntary groups registered under the scheme, who provide an excellent service for the elderly. It will enable these groups to concentrate on the main purpose of the scheme, namely to support and interact with the elderly in the local community.

The 2015 allocation for the operation of the Seniors Alert Scheme is €2.35m.

The annual spend on the Seniors Alert Scheme from 2011 to 2014 is shown in the table.