Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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996. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount Pobal and her Department have spent on the senior alert scheme from Sept 2021 to date in 2025, in the four areas covered under the scheme (Dublin, Munster, Leinster and Connaught-Ulster), by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51647/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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997. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide a breakdown of spending for the senior alert scheme under the headings equipment, monitoring and administration from September 2021 to date in 2025, in the four areas covered under the scheme (Dublin, Munster, Leinster and Connaught/Ulster); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51648/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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998. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of alarms installed under the senior alert scheme from September 2021 to date in 2025, in the four areas covered under the scheme (Dublin, Munster, Leinster and Connaught/Ulster), by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51649/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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999. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if his Department has allocated additional funding to the senior alert scheme from September 2021 to date in 2025, over and above the value of the contract award; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51650/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 996 to 999, inclusive, together.

My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme for the purchase by a registered community based-organisation of a personal alarm or pendant. The scheme is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department.

The allocation to the scheme is €3.2m in 2025. As this is a demand led scheme, it will be kept under continuous review by myself and officials in my Department to ensure adequate funding can be made available to meet the requirements of all qualifying applicants. There is also provision under the Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan 2025 for funding to meet the additional and exceptional demands of the Scheme.

Since the scheme was launched in 2015, over 153,000 participants have been approved for the alarms, including over 18,200 in 2024. The current iteration of the scheme came into effect in September 2021 and, along with the provision of free monitoring for the first year and a revision of the living alone requirements, it introduced a new key feature in the additional option of a digital alarm, for use with web-based connections. My Department currently covers the cost of equipment and one year's monitoring and expenditure. The scheme is largely driven by demand rather than county or area based budgets.

Regarding funding to the Scheme, the allocation in 2025 for the SAS initiative is €3.2m exchequer funding, with additional funding available from the Dormant Accounts Fund to meet demand. Expenditure for the SAS during the period 2021 – 2025 is listed below:

Year Expenditure €m

2021 €4.86

2022 €4.59

2023 €6.18

2024 €6.31

2025 €2.74*

*2025 spend to date in 2025

Please see table below showing breakdown of approved participants (i.e. alarms installed) for the years 2021 to date, per county. Details of funding for administration and monitoring contracts for this initiative cannot be disclosed as they are commercially sensitive.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1000. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the senior alert scheme will be put out to tender again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51651/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme for the purchase by a registered community based-organisation of a personal alarm or pendant. The scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by Pobal.

The scheme is currently under review, with the current contracts for supply and monitoring of alarms in place until August 2026. As part of the current review, alternative technologies are being considered. The new iteration of the scheme will take account of technology advancements to ensure vulnerable people are not left isolated during extreme weather events where power/communications are down. Departmental officials continue to engage with telecoms operators, technology consultants, representative bodies, Pobal and all other relevant stakeholders in this regard.

I expect the tender process for the next iteration of the scheme to be commenced in the near future, once the outcome of the review and consultation process is known, with a new iteration of the scheme to be launched in early 2026.