Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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177. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of persons outside of the State who were awarded the centenarian's bounty over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29063/16]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the method through which his Department locates Irish centenarians living abroad; if the onus is on the citizen to inform his Department of their upcoming birthday; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29064/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 178 together.

This is a repeat of my reply to the same questions, Nos. 315 and 316, on Tuesday, 4 October 2016.

The Centenarian Bounty is the award made by the President of Ireland to people living in Ireland who have reached 100 years of age. On 23 March 2006, the Government approved the extension of the ‘Centenarian Bounty’ scheme whereby persons born on the island of Ireland, who have reached 100 years of age, wherever they may now reside, became eligible for the award of €2,540. It should be noted that, while the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade processes applications received from outside the State, the decision to award the Centenarian Bounty is the responsibility of Áras an Uachtaráin. Once the Department processes an application, a recommendation is made to Áras an Uachtaráin on awarding the Centenarian Bounty.

From 1^stJanuary 2011 to 30^thSeptember 2016 the Department made recommendations to Áras an Uachtaráin for 1,005 bounty recipients resident outside of the State - 14% were men and 86% were women.

Information on the Centenarian Bounty is available online, particularly through the Department’s website and also on the websites of the President and of the Citizens Information Bureau. The Department also advertises the Centenarian Bounty through its public outreach work and mission network. The Department does not locate centenarians living abroad and applications are usually made by a close relative of the centenarian or by other people who know them such as a close friend, medical staff or social worker. Following the first application, centenarian’s details are recorded and for all subsequent birthdays a letter and commemorative coin is issued by Áras an Uachtaráin.

The majority of the recipients processed to date under the extended scheme are resident in Northern Ireland (approximately 55%) with residents of United States (approximately 20%) and people living in England (approximately 18%) accounting for the majority of the other recipients.