Mr. Justin Moran:

I will try to address all the points that were put to me. Members might highlight any I miss. On Deputy Ó Cuív's initial question, Age Action Ireland has always taken the term "older person" as referring to people aged 55 and over, partly to deal with the issue Deputy Collins mentioned, namely, that some people at the age of 55 need supports, including employment supports, which often are not there. The more usual definition of an older person is anybody aged over 66, which is currently the age of eligibility for the State pension. However, I have found in my time in Age Action Ireland that what constitutes old age is very fluid. We have members in their late 80s, for instance, who would be offended to be described as older people. On the other hand, we have people in their 50s with health problems for whom the description is apt. There is a legal definition of childhood but the same does not apply for old age. It is very much an individual experience.

The Deputy made the point that it is important not to see people living in rural areas and urban areas as different races or species. I agree that both, as older people, face the same issues.

We would argue that the lack of supports and some of the policy decisions make it tougher in rural areas. Loneliness, for example, is an issue for older people, whether one lives where I am living at present, in Drumcondra, or where my family is from, in Caltra, but it is a bigger issue in some communities where one does not have the kind of social cohesion referred to in a rural community, where one does not have access to rural transport or to health care which are particular issues that affect rural parts of Ireland.

I would agree that the issue of the migration of younger people and families to larger towns, either in search of housing or employment, is a serious issue because what one sees then is a cascade effect. As people move away from the villages, the demand for the post office drops, the demand for the bank branch drops and the demand for the bus drops, and slowly over a period of time one reaches a stage where An Post says that the post office is unsustainable or there are not enough people-----