Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)

The Minister of State talks about hardship but the reality is that with a 12-year waiting list to get into a public nursing home in greater Dublin, many children find they have no alternative but to put their parents into a private nursing home. Does the Minister of State accept that an elderly person on a pension of €160 a week with a supplement of €80 a week cannot meet the balance, even with an enhanced subvention? Will the Minister of State make this a priority? We have been talking about reviews for a long time, particularly in greater Dublin where prices are exorbitant. We must deal with this by the middle of the year.

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