As the Deputy will appreciate, the response to the issue of rural isolation is delivered by a range of Government Departments and other organisations, as I outlined in my reply to the Deputy's Question No. 34 of 21 February 2018 (Ref. 8511/18), which set out the range of measures in the Action Plan for Rural Development which are addressing isolation and social inclusion in rural areas.
These measures include continued prioritisation of community crime prevention through schemes such as neighbourhood watch and text alert; investment in the Garda fleet to ensure that gardaí are mobile, visible and responsive in order to prevent and tackle crime; support for the 450 men’s sheds across rural Ireland; maintaining the network of senior helplines through the HSE; and continued improvements in the rural transport programme, including the provision of new routes.
Funding for these initiatives is available from a number of Government Departments and agencies and the level of funding allocated to the schemes is a matter for the Departments and agencies concerned.
From my own Department's perspective, I am responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which supports 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 towards the purchase by a registered community-based organisation of a personal alarm or pendant for older people. In excess of €10 million has been spent on the scheme since 2013.
A new iteration of the scheme came into effect on 1 November 2017 and introduced a number of improvements, including the provision of free monitoring for the first year and a revision of the "living alone" requirements.
I allocated €2.7 million to Senior Alerts in 2017 and the scheme saw an increase of 73% in approved applications compared to 2016.
