Vol. 483 No. 3
308 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his Department will make a small grant available to those pensioners who avail of the phone monitoring scheme under their local community alert scheme to help them pay for the monitoring company's fee of £47 for this service. [20061/97]
The scheme of community support for older people was established to address the security needs of vulnerable older people in the community by providing funding for certain types of security equipment. Under the scheme funding can be provided for small scale physical security equipment such as strengthening of doors and windows, window locks, door chains and locks and security equipment and socially monitored alarm systems. Funding is not available under the scheme for conventional intruder burglar alarms.
The maximum grant available under this scheme is 90 per cent of the cost and grants are only provided towards the once-off cost of obtaining and installing the necessary equipment. It is not possible under the terms of the scheme to provide funding towards the on-going monitoring fees charged by the monitoring companies.
