I understand that the situation on which the Deputy's question is based is a particular and localised one and affects approximately 40/45 individuals with socially-monitored alarms in Co. Westmeath, where the 04 STD area underwent a number change under the ‘National Numbering Scheme', which is managed and administered by ComReg.
My Department has been in contact with the local groups and I understand that this number (40/45) of socially-monitored alarms which were funded by my Department under the Scheme of Community Supports for Older People (CSOP), may have been affected due to their particular technical nature. The CSOP is administered by local community and voluntary groups. The vast majority of such alarm holders use a system involving the centralised monitoring of the alarms by the commercial suppliers. In these instances an annual monitoring fee of approximately €80 is payable by the user and my information is that such systems are not adversely affected by the STD code change. In the case of the system affected by the STD area code change, the community group opted to use a system that does not involve centralised monitoring of the alarms by the commercial suppliers thereby avoiding the annual monitoring charge paid by most users but necessitating the reprogramming as a result of the change in the STD code.
My Department has no direct involvement with the commercial suppliers of these alarms as this is dealt with by the local community groups, and my Department was not contacted regarding this matter by the community group who had arranged for the installation of these particular alarms. However, I understand from my Department's contacts locally that it should be possible to have the work arising from the STD area code change completed for a considerably lower fee than that indicated by the Deputy. This would also be considerably less than the monitoring fee that is payable annually by the vast majority of socially-monitored alarm holders.
