Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

We are all entitled to know because the taxpayers will be paying back at least €500 million. If we could have had this issue dealt with five years ago, the amount would have been much less because we could have legally raised the charges. For every week we cannot raise these charges, it costs the health service €2.5 million.

We have serious issues in regard to long-term care. Every year, 12,000 more people are reaching the age of 65 and 1,500 more reach the age of 80. The demographics of our population are such that we will have to think strategically about a whole host of issues. How do we support people, particularly in their own homes and communities, and how do we support older people in our society?

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