Elderly alarm scheme cuts reversed

The Government has been forced to bow to public pressure and reverse its decision to halve funding for personal security alarms for the elderly.

The Department of the Environment, which administers the scheme, confirmed that minister Phil Hogan had “reviewed the department’s estimates” and restored the financial allocation to €2.35m — the same as in 2012.

There had been outcry when the department confirmed last week that the amount for the Seniors’ Alert scheme was being cut to €1.15m. As a result, funding was only to be made available to qualifying people aged over 65 and living alone, for the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms, to a maximum of €230 per alarm.