Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

The referral of the Bill to the Supreme Court by President McAleese proves the value of an independent Presidency. She acted independently despite the embarrassment of the Government which it was obvious would result. It is certainly obvious in the Chamber this evening. The President has done well by referring the Bill to the court and the result will give all of us a renewed confidence in the legal system.

For a long time, lip service has been paid to older people and the need to support care in the community, but the confounding factor has always been a lack of funds. As has been borne out today, it has been a case of being penny wise and pound foolish. While the Tánaiste speaks fine words, which I know she means, about the value of community care, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Many others have spoken such words and meant them but older people have suffered. Today's ruling provides a very good example. There have been many major problems in trying to get money to run health services. The funds provided for home help have always been severely restricted resulting in the severe restriction in hours of service provided. Home help is the most obvious way to support older people within their communities. The fund to provide aids and appliances has always been seriously depleted also. Services in this area have always constituted a poor relation.

The Department of Health and Children contends the problem was that health boards reallocated moneys intended to provide services for older people, but wherever the fault lies people have suffered. It must come back to the Department and central government which has failed to provide sufficient resources for services for older people. I hope the Government learns from this experience although it has yet to learn from the last one. Political opportunism meant an arm and a leg was spent providing medical cards to the over-70s. While the Government says in its defence of the Bill under discussion that addressing the issue would divert money from services for those who are currently ill, I do not see why it should blame older people. The fault does not belong to older people, but to the Government which has failed to look after the people it should. There is money for everything else, including electronic voting and all sorts of queer shenanigans, but not for the people experiencing real need.

We have seen too much convenience legislation introduced to save the skins of the Government parties and rushed through the Dáil in the absence of any element of consensus. It is time certainty was reintroduced in the system and the Government practised what it preached. Resources must be provided to support the community alternatives which can return people from institutional care.

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