Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the officials and I thank them for attending. I acknowledge the fantastic work that the former Minister of State with responsibility in this area, Deputy McEntee, has done with older persons to date. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, will continue to carry the baton. Like Senator Kelleher, I am disappointed that the report the Minister of State promised for the end of the year has been put off until the start of the new year. Like anything, there are bound to be teething problems.

After housing issues, home help requests and home care requests form the biggest part of the workload in my clinics and in my office. I know the officials are aware of that and of the major problems that exist.

I have some questions about the new scheme. Can the Department confirm that the new scheme will be free to the clients? Some people have asked questions about it. They are concerned that clients may have to contribute financially to the new system. Will it be more available? It is difficult to get home help hours. Will it be more available under the new system?

Other speakers touched on the area of carers. I wish to pay tribute and emphasise the extraordinary contribution they make. In particular, I wish to pay tribute to informal carers who are not being paid. They do this on a voluntary basis and out of love for family members. Are there any plans for more respite to give those family members a break?

Respite needs to be made more formal and planned better. I know many people who have to fight to get respite every time. They may be going on holidays in June but they are offered the respite in July. Perhaps under the new scheme there could be a more formal arrangement with regard to respite.

At present, home care and the home help hours seem to be for morning and evening only. It is a one-size-fits-all arrangement. Informal carers can often manage mornings and evenings themselves but may need help during the middle of the day. When we are developing the new system, it is important that a one-size-fits-all model does not creep in. We should listen to what people require.