Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

I wish to share time with Deputy Cowley. I do not wish to talk about the introduction of the doctor-only medical card under this proposed legislation. My colleague, Deputy Gormley and other members of the Green Party have spoken and will speak on it. I broadly welcome it, although I share some of the reservations already expressed.

I want to use this opportunity to outline my absolute disgust, which is probably too weak a phrase, for this legislation. Deputy Fiona O'Malley has just left the Chamber. She praised the Tánaiste for her clarity and foresight in identifying this little glitch whereby taking money from the elderly for services they had already paid for over the years through graft and taxation was illegal. The Tánaiste brought the matter to public attention. However, it is an even greater sin, having known that it was illegal and morally unjustifiable, to proceed with it and try to legalise this robbery.

I could not help thinking of the analogy with Robin Hood and his merry men. There were many merry men in the Fianna Fáil backbenches, but in this context this Administration and previous Governments are "Robbing Hoods". The Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, is the sheriff of Newcastle who, having collected the taxes from the local villages, proceeds to legalise the law that says, in effect, that they can be plundered and the money taken off them again. I believe my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who contributed to this society over the years deserve better.

This is a timely opportunity to outline the sort of policy we have towards the elderly for the future. Older people lived through the Emergency or the Second World War. They saw the first boom in the 1960s, the oil crises of the 1970s, the recession of the 1980s and the emergence of the Celtic tiger in the 1990s. They, more than any other segment of society, contributed to this. They are the people who paid tax at 48% during the dark days. It is they who contributed to the economic miracle which is world renowned but which has not done much for people's quality of life. The people who contributed to this have paid with their blood, sweat and tears, from the mothers who reared children or worked outside the home to the fathers who minded their children and who paid taxes at 48%. In this context I am also talking about people who emigrated and sent money home to keep the local economy going, and who are not treated with as much disdain as they reach the twilight of their years. I am thinking in particular of the emigrants in London, but that is for a later debate. I want to confine myself to the elderly in Ireland seeking care who are being treated with contempt.

People who have already paid in spades through the taxation system should not be asked to pay a large proportion of their pension for residential care. It is what Deputy Joe Higgins would describe as an unfair double taxation. I believe that giving someone the best part of €30 in pocket money is an insult to his or her dignity. Teenagers these days earn more than this in one night working in a pub or in McDonald's. It is a joke and an affront to a person's human rights and dignity. Fianna Fáil might be complacent in thinking the majority of voters over 60 vote for it or its Thatcherite spawn, the Progressive Democrats. Looking at how society is developing, however, it is the older generation in particular which believes that quality of life is diminishing. They are coming to realise that what Fianna Fáil Governments have given them over the last 30 years is not what it appears to be. I would not be so smug at the next general election in thinking that the elderly will take this ignoble insult on the chin and continue to vote for this Government. I certainly hope they do not.

I would like to make a few suggestions about how quality of life may be improved for the elderly. The Progressive Democrats seem to think that if a person is incapacitated and has no economic merit, he or she is dross and should wait to have life terminated or wither away. I have news for the Tánaiste. The majority of older people are active and contribute to life and society. They should be provided with better opportunities to do this and there are ways and means.

Although I am a Catholic, I disagree with Pope John Paul II on a number of moral issues. However, here is a shining example of a person of advanced years who has made a unique contribution to society. Let us listen to some of his words. He said the elderly should not be allowed to think of themselves as a burden on the community and sometimes even on their families. He also said they represent a resource to be valued. This beacon for millions of Catholics said as much in his Lenten homily this year. It is a message the Pope can convey, even in his ill-health. I hope the Government takes his words into account.

Age Action Ireland has made a number of proposals in terms of what may be done to help elderly people. They can get financial aid in residential care and if that means abolishing this measly tax, this is fair enough because while it is only 10% of the overall cost of care, it is a much larger proportional share of an older person's income. Services could be provided to older people in rural areas. That means keeping post offices open and the social fabric alive. It means allowing proper public transport systems to be set up so that the elderly may network and get out and meet people.

It is a very ageist attitude but many people think that older people are just waiting to wither away and die. When a person finishes active contribution in terms of work, he or she is often seen as not having anything to do. Dr. Garret FitzGerald made a proposal which should be considered, even though I have no opinion on it one way or the other at the moment. He proposed raising the retirement age to 70, which would also have a beneficial economic impact. All the studies have shown that for a person to be kept active in his or her older years by contributing to and being valued in society has positive health and economic benefits. Community employment schemes have a contribution to make in this regard, and not just for training which was their original purpose. Older people can make a contribution through part-time work as part of community employment schemes, through job sharing etc. These are ways through which older people, who are a major resource as Pope John Paul II has said, may continue to contribute and be valued and cherished.

Reports have shown that proper nutrition and proper exercise such as weight training and yoga represent the way to ensure that health care costs are kept to a minimum. The Heidelberg guidelines, as proposed by the World Health Organisation, suggested that there are ways and means of promoting physical activity among older people. An independent older person is a happy, vibrant person. We should not aim just to treat people who are sick, but to ensure that fewer elderly people are sick. People are living longer and they should be able to live healthy lives. Anything that is done to promote a healthy, active life should be considered and it would also save the State some money. Education courses are another way forward because keeping someone's mind active is another way of saving the State money.

I urge the Government to think about planning before the demographic time bomb explodes. It should think about providing homes for elderly people mixed in with homes for younger people. Due to the high price of housing in the greater Dublin area, people have moved to Meath and Kildare. Their parents live in the city centre and suburbs, but they cannot spend time with their parents as their time is spent commuting. If we want to build a real sense of community, we have to give incentives to elderly people so that they can live near their families, or to families so that they can afford a house in the area in which they grew up. That sense of community will also save the State money because rather than paying large amounts in crèche fees, the elderly member of the family can perform some of the child care duties. That has a cost saving and is a way of valuing older people. Rather than looking at it as a cost and a burden by trying to take 10% of the total cost of care, we should consider giving pensioners their dignity and rights and consider ways of saving the State money.

See this speech in context