Question to the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government (Mr. Alan Kelly, TD)
To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of elderly supports, schemes or grants that are currently funded in his Department; if he will provide, in tabular form, the annual funding for each scheme or support; the number of persons benefiting from them; the terms and conditions of each scheme; any additional demand being sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. – Jerry Buttimer
For WRITTEN ANSWER on 12, May, 2015.
REPLY
My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. The maximum grant per beneficiary for equipment is as follows:
-Monitored personal alarms (with pendant) – €250
-Additional pendant/Re-installation – €50
The annual monitoring costs (generally between €60 – €80 per annum) are borne by the beneficiary.
The funding allocated for the Seniors Alert Scheme in 2015 is €2.35m. The following table outlines the expenditure for this scheme and the overall number of beneficiaries for this demand-led scheme over recent years.
|
Year |
Expenditure |
Beneficiaries |
|
2012 |
€2.52m |
9,142 |
|
2013 |
€2.32m |
10,597 |
|
2014 |
€1.7m |
7,120 |
Further details on the Seniors Alert Scheme are available on my Department’s website.
My Department also provides funding to assist older persons to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their homes.
The Housing Aid for Older People Scheme (HAOP) provides grants of up to € 8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out. Grant eligible works include structural repairs or improvements, re-wiring, repairs to or replacement of windows and doors, provision of water supply and sanitary facilities, provision of heating, cleaning, painting etc.
The Mobility Aids Grant Schemeis available to fast track grants of up to €6,000 to cover a basic suite of works to address the mobility problems of a member of a household. Qualifying works include the provision of stair lifts, level access showers, access ramps, grab rails and some minor adaptation works to the fabric of the house such as adaptation of downstairs room/closet to provide sanitary facilities etc. The effective maximum grant available is €6,000 and may cover 100% of the cost of works subject to a maximum annual household income threshold of €30,000.
The schemes are generally 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from each local authority. The detailed breakdown of Exchequer funding provided by my Department to each local authority since 2008, including the number of grants paid, is available on my Department’s website.