Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates and congratulate them on the great work they do. I take this opportunity to thank the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which does tremendous work in Killarney. As recently as yesterday, when the local community welfare officer refused to give any financial assistance to a family that was allocated a local authority house and needed to buy blankets to put on the beds, the only place to which this family could turn was the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

I am glad the organisation is operating in our neck of the woods because the situation people are facing is very serious. Does the society require additional funding and, if so, would a fund-raising campaign be useful? It grieves me when I see other supposedly charitable organisations able to avail of television advertisements and so on but nobody seems to know what is going on or what they are doing with the money. We never hear of rows about chairmen and such like at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We can see what it is doing with its funding, which is assisting the people who need that help. We should seek to provide funding for the organisation where we can.

I agree with the points made by colleagues regarding the home help service. I spoke to man in my constituency who sought a second home help for a quarter of an hour each day for his 95 year old uncle. This elderly man was getting 15 minutes in the morning to help him out of bed and was looking for an extra quarter of an hour in the evening to assist him in getting back into the bed. The nephew, a busy farmer, was told there was no way in the world his uncle would get another farthing for home help. Instead, he was offered accommodation in a nursing home, where he could be left in bed all the time, under the fair deal scheme. I understand that particular scheme is funded by what is called a statutory payment. In the case of my 95 year old constituent, I see no reason that some of the money which would be used to keep him in a nursing home could not instead be used to provide him with more help at home, where he wants to stay. That is what most elderly people want. When they are asked how they like their nursing home, they will say it is fine but they would prefer to be at home. There seems to be a substantial funding allocation under the fair deal scheme. Do the delegates agree it would make sense for some of it be transferred to the home help service? I have raised this issue in the Dáil several times but we need assistance from wherever we can get it to ensure proper funding is provided for the home help service. It is a major concern for people in rural Kerry.

The cost of transport is an issue for many elderly people. We have good community bus links but they do not cater for people who, for example, need to go at different times for doctor and hospital appointments. Do the delegates have any proposals in that regard? One of the Ministers in the last Government had a ridiculous idea about providing cheaper taxis, but that will not work. There should be some provision whereby dedicated transport payments can be given in special cases. People do not have money from their pensions to cover the cost of private transport and many of them cannot walk three or four miles.

Mental health is a major issue and I acknowledge the work the delegates are doing in this area. Are they aware that we have a wonderful new facility in Killarney to cater for 40 patients, which, 18 months after it was completed, remains unopened? What is the Government thinking of when it does something like that? There was a rush to complete the Killarney facility but apparently no rush at all to have it up and running. Are the delegates aware of the strategies being employed by the HSE and how adverse they are proving for long-enduring patients?