John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 14, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “Report on the cost of hearing aids and the adequacy of financial supports

20. The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the cost of hearing aids and the adequacy of financial supports available, taking into account the low level of hearing aid uptake in Ireland and that the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection within 6 months of the enactment of this Act. ”.

This is an amendment which, unfortunately, seeks another report. We cannot bring forward amendments that will result in a cost to the Exchequer. The only proposal we can push for is reports on the impact of cuts, changes or measures brought forward by the Minister. This amendment seeks a report on the cost of hearing aids and the adequacy of the financial support in this regard. In July, the organisation Chime gave a comprehensive statement to the committee on the impact of the cuts imposed as part of the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation, FEMPI. Some stark statistics came out of this. We know changes have been made in terms of optical and dental benefits under the treatment benefit scheme. Hearing aids have not, however. I am trying to find out the entitlements prior to the changes but it was hard to get those exact figures.

The cuts were made in budget 2009. There are over 300,000 people with significant hearing loss who need hearing aids. Only one in five actually have them. That is a low treatment rate. If one has a look at those who have access to a medical card, they are twice as likely to have a hearing aid than those who do not. Not having a hearing aid can have a massive impact on an individual. There is much evidence to show that it can impact in terms of dementia and other medical issues, as well as social isolation. This needs to be rectified. Changes have been made in terms of the dental and optical treatments. This also needs to change. Unfortunately, I cannot bring forward an amendment calling on the Minister to reverse this cut. My hands are tied. Accordingly, I can only bring forward an amendment calling for reports on treatment benefits.