Vol. 557 No. 4
475 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the percentage of security alarms for the elderly out of the recently announced allocation which came to County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22307/02]
The purpose of the scheme of community support for older people is to improve the security and social support of vulnerable older people. This funding is provided by way of grant aid to voluntary groups and organisations who have undertaken to identify those elderly people in need of assistance under the scheme. Since the commencement of the scheme of community support for older people, a total of €2.5 million has been allocated to the scheme, which at the end of 2001 had assisted some 89,136 individuals. A sum of €4.4 million has been provided for the scheme in 2002. The total budget for the scheme is allocated to the regions by the percentage of the population aged 65 and over. The north west region's allocation is 7.1% of the total budget. Donegal has approximately 60% of the relevant population base. To date, 23 groups in Donegal have applied for funding under the scheme, all of which have been approved for grants totalling €83,540.
