Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Nov 1998

Vol. 497 No. 2

Written Answers - Security of the Elderly.

Brendan Howlin

Question:

295 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will introduce an assistance scheme to help elderly people who pay an annual charge to Telecom Éireann phone watch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24679/98]

John Gormley

Question:

302 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will report on the operation of the grants scheme operated by his Department to assist in the funding of socially-monitored alarms and other small security devices, including security lights, mortice locks, door viewers and so on; and the plans, if any, he has to further develop this scheme in order to make its benefits more widely available to the elderly population. [24472/98]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 302 together.

The scheme of community support for older people was established by my Department in 1996 to address the security needs of vulnerable older people in the community. Under the scheme, grants are made available to voluntary organisations such as Muintir na Tíre, Community Alert, Neighbourhood Watch, which has undertaken to identify the older people in the community in need of the scheme's services.

Under the scheme grants are available for small-scale physical security equipment such as strengthening of doors and windows, window locks, door chains and locks and security lighting and socially-monitored alarm systems. Funding is not available for conventional burglar alarms under this scheme. Older people, aged 65 or over, who live alone or in households made up exclusively of older and/or other dependent vulnerable people and who are unable to install or purchase the equipment concerned themselves, can benefit from the scheme.

The primary objective of this scheme is to address the security needs of vulnerable older people by the provision of funding specifically for the once-off costs of installing security equipment and in this regard funding towards the annual charges, as mentioned by Deputy Howlin, is not available under the scheme. A sum of £2 million was allocated to the scheme in the 1998 Estimates. A review of applications under the 1998 scheme indicated that some 940 applications had been received.

Having reviewed the level of demand under the scheme this year I recently sought, and obtained, Government approval for the allocation of an additional £3 million to the scheme, bringing the total allocation in 1998 to £5 million. The allocation of these additional funds will allow the Department to assist a large number of people again this year and the regional offices of my Department are currently processing applications. They expect to be in a position soon to advise groups of the decision regarding their applications.

Since its inception in 1996 a total of £12 million has been made available for this scheme and up to the end of 1997 some 36,000 people had been assisted by the scheme. It is anticipated that in excess of a further 20,000 people will be assisted this year. This means that since I came into office in July last year this Government has spent £10 million on this scheme as opposed to £2 million spent on it by the previous Government.

I am anxious to ensure that this scheme addresses the security needs of the most vulnerable people and that it provides this assistance in the most efficient and effective way possible. In this regard, the Department has, in consultation with the Departments of Finance and Health and Children, commissioned an independent review of the scheme which will consider how the scheme is meeting its objective and whether it is doing so in the most efficient and effective way possible. As the final report from the consultants is not yet available it would not be appropriate to consider making changes to the scheme at this point.