Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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107. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the financial allocations in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 for the seniors alert scheme; the take-up to date of the scheme in County Kildare since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38571/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The allocation for the Seniors Alert Scheme in 2016 was €2.3m of which €1.8m was spent. Following a review, I launched a new scheme which took effect on 1 November 2017. A media and information campaign was organised to support the launch.

I am pleased to say that since the launch of the new scheme, the demand has been unprecedented. During 2017, spend on the Scheme amounted to €2.7m, with over 12,600 applications approved and more than 10,000 installations completed. To the end of August 2018, almost 13,000 applications were approved, with in excess of 14,500 installations completed. Spend on this demand-led scheme to date in 2018 has been almost €5.4million.

Since the Seniors Alert Scheme commenced in September 2015, 1,102 participants have been approved for the Scheme in County Kildare, broken down as follows:

The Senior Alert Scheme is demand led and funding is allocated to meet the demand under the Scheme and is not divided on a geographical basis.

My officials are carefully monitoring the scheme to ensure that current levels of demand can continue to be met from within the resources available to my Department. The funding allocation for 2019 is currently under consideration as part over of the overall 2019 Estimates process.