Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the commitment of Deputy O'Dea in tabling this motion. We face a problem over the use of language, namely in respect of the word "review". For many concerned people, a review means a cut by stealth. We know this from the medical card debacle, which caused considerable distress among the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, all of whom come under incredible pressure following a review.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, stated the review concerns only the modernisation of the scheme. The language used is the same language that was used to order a review into maternity services in the west and north-west regions. There was a proposal to rip out maternity services across hospitals in rural areas. That report or review was shelved only when we established that there was a significant conflict of interest between the connections of those people central to the commissioning of the report and the review itself.

Another so-called review, where the conclusions were predetermined by political necessity, was used to close, or never open, a state-of-the-art facility in Ballinasloe. It was a €3.2 million facility, the only ligature-free mental health facility in the country. It was never opened to ensure a Government backbencher would benefit from the proposal for a development in Galway city. That involved a review.

The Minister for Social Protection, now the new Tánaiste, has asked us to take her at her word that there will be no cuts to the free travel scheme but she will have to forgive us if we fail to do so because we know the Government's modus operandiwith regard to the word "review". The Minister made much of her protection of so-called core welfare payments. She has conveniently brushed over the fact that she disgracefully broke the commitment to young people under the age of 26 and the faithful commitment to the people, including women, that she would not cut child benefit. That commitment was part of a review under the programme for Government.

The Government has stood over cuts that have disproportionately targeted the elderly, carers, mentally ill and people under 26. It is not as if what we are saying is isolated from what is being said by the advocacy groups. Age Action Ireland has clearly expressed its concern about the review currently being undertaken by the Minister. The objective of this motion is to put a marker down on behalf of those who believe they are being let down by the Government with respect to how it approaches reviews.

Elderly people cannot be comforted by the Minister's assurances having witnessed the withdrawal of medical cards. Those over 70 have witnessed over 30,000 medical cards being taken from them. They have been subject to cuts to the tax relief on health insurance, the removal of the telephone allowance, cuts to the home help package and fuel allowance, the abolition of the bereavement grant and an increase in the pension levy. Therefore, elderly people know the Government is not on their side. The welfare of elderly people is in grave doubt with respect to the political commitment on the free travel scheme.

I ask the Minister of State to pay particular attention to comments already made tonight on private operators. Contributors have stated the scheme in this regard is under threat and not viable as a consequence of the number of private operators who have grave doubts about their capacity to continue to operate under the scheme.

I am sure the Minister of State will agree that the scheme has been of great significance in enhancing the quality of life of senior citizens. Some 70% of them rely on the scheme to gain access to medical care, do shopping and maintain social contact where rural isolation is a feature of life. I appeal to the Minister of State to advise the Tánaiste to enhance the assurances that have been given with respect to the ability of transport companies to provide services to the elderly. It is important that we examine the capacity to increase funding to ensure the private operators will have such scope.

I appreciate that the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, have spent a lot of energy over recent weeks on the internal affairs of their party. It is an indulgence that has lasted over seven weeks. I ask the Minister of State to spend the same amount of energy spent over the past seven weeks on the elderly by making a commitment to defend the welfare of vulnerable people, who simply do not trust the Government with respect to how it approaches reviews.

See this speech in context