Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
1489. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the financial allocations in 2019, 2020, 2022 and to date in 2023 under the seniors alert scheme nationally, in tabular form; the financial allocations for the same years under this scheme for Cork county and city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35686/23]
View answerMy 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 Senior Alert Scheme is demand led and funding is allocated to meet the demand under the Scheme and is not divided on a geographical basis.
Since 2019, the budget allocation for the Scheme has been €2.3 million per annum.
The allocation and total expenditure for the Scheme for the period 2019 to 2023 is in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Allocation and Expenditure 2019-2023
|
Year |
Allocation €m |
Expenditure €m |
|
2019 |
2.3 |
5.3 |
|
2020 |
2.3 |
5.1 |
|
2021 |
2.3 |
4.8 |
|
2022 |
2.3 |
4.6 |
|
2023 |
2.3 |
|
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 for funding to meet the additional and exceptional demands of the Scheme. It should be noted that there was a decrease in participant applications during the COVID pandemic. However, applications are now increasing and it is anticipated that demand will reach pre-pandemic levels in the coming year.
Since 2016, almost 14,000 participants have been approved for the Scheme in County Cork, with 2019 to 2023 participant numbers broken down in Table 2 below:
Table 2: Approved Participants in Cork 2019-2023
|
Year |
Approved Participants Co Cork |
|
2019 |
2,256 |
|
2020 |
1,917 |
|
2021 |
1,810 |
|
2022 |
2,055 |
|
2023 (to end of June) |
1,078 |
The current lot-based tender system for suppliers combines a number of counties across a number of lots, and payments are made to the suppliers in each of these lots. Therefore it is not possible to say with full accuracy how much funding has been given to each county.
