Responsibility for the scheme of community support for older people transferred from the then named Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs to the newly formed Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in June 2002. The scheme was operated through the regional offices of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs up to and including 2002.
The purpose of the scheme is to encourage and assist the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Funding under the scheme can be provided for door locks, door chains and window locks; security lighting; and smoke alarms and the once-off cost of installing socially monitored personal alarms.
Details in respect of the groups approved and amounts approved for security equipment — including socially monitored personal alarms — under the scheme for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available in the Oireachtas Library. The details in respect of grants paid under the 2003 and 2004 schemes are available on my Department's website, www.pobail.ie.
In summary, the details are in the table.
|
Year
|
Number of applicant groups
|
Number of groups approved
|
Amount (€ million)
|
|
2000
|
Not available
|
571
|
4.03
|
|
2001
|
Not available
|
461
|
2.68
|
|
2002
|
Not available
|
432
|
2.67
|
|
2003
|
461
|
391
|
2.86
|
|
2004
|
531
|
450
|
2.65*
|
*Includes approximately €670,000 paid in 2005 in respect of applications received under the 2004 scheme.
I recently announced the 2005 scheme open for applications. The closing date for receipt of applications in the Department is 24 May 2005.
