Restore phone allowance, demands Ó Caoláin

A Cavan-Monaghan deputy has called for the restoration of the monthly telephone allowance for older citizens which was discontinued in the Budget. Speaking in the Dáil last week, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said:

“The axing of the monthly telephone allowance is a callous act that has caused widespread concern, and indeed real fear among older people. None of us can be in any doubt about that after the weekend, being back in our respective constituencies following the budget. I have no doubt about it, having spoken to a variety of people of senior years, all of whom are reflecting the impact these measures will have on their lives,' said the Sinn Féin deputy.

“How is that acceptable to any Government that claims to value the security of older people and that claims to vindicate the right of our older citizens to remain in their own homes as long as possible? The telephone allowance was a very important support.

“I know of instances, and people very close to me, where the bill for the two-monthly demand for the telephone is multiples of the use but the importance of the telephone is why it is retained. It is not dispensed with, and a mobile telephone is not an option so it is critically important that the telephone allowance is restored. That is the first demand I would make of the Minister and of her colleagues in Government - to restore the telephone allowance without any further prevarication.

“As the Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament has pointed out, many of the security and monitoring devices which older people have installed in their homes rely on land lines - especially in areas where broadband coverage is poor, including in my own area of the country. Replacements or changes to these systems would be costly and accessibility has been affected by severe cuts to the community groups who supply them.”