Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important matter. A society can be judged by how it treats its older and infirm members. On that basis this Government stands condemned for its cruel, callous and uncaring actions and attitudes towards our elderly and infirm citizens and particularly by its withdrawal of home help workers.

The home help scheme was intended for and used to good effect to assist elderly and infirm people to continue to live in their homes for as long as possible and in comfort and dignity. Home helps were usually neighbours who were known and trusted by the recipients of the service. They performed everyday but essential tasks. They cleaned the house, made the beds, helped to dress the recipient and did the shopping. These are simple tasks which the old and infirm were no longer able to do for themselves. The home help workers sometimes did much more. This simple and economic service allowed the recipients to live in relative comfort and dignity in their homes.

This service ensured the recipients were not forced to leave their homes and go into long-term care in very expensive institutions. This service ensured that the recipients were enabled to return home following hospital treatment, thereby leaving an acute treatment bed free for others. There has been much comment about accident and emergency departments and hospital trolleys in recent times and very expensive solutions to remedy same, but restoration and expansion of the home help service was not considered. Beds in hospitals and places in long-stay care could be freed up immediately if the home help service were restored.

For some reason best known only to themselves, the Government, now known as the caring Government of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats, God help us, has reduced incrementally the hours available in the home help service each year since 2002. In County Kildare, the figures are as follows. In 2002, 590,000 hours were available, 440,000 hours in 2003, 367,000 hours in 2004 and 336,000 hours in 2005. This is a cut of 254,000 hours of service to the old and sick, which is a cut of 40%. In the northern Kildare area, the cut amounted to 50%.

This has left many vulnerable people, the weakest in the community, at great risk. Many have had to opt for long-term care, others struggle on as best they can with a drastically reduced quality of life while others remain in acute hospital beds because the service is not available at home. This cut in service makes no sense. It is cruel and callous in its disregard for the suffering of our weakest citizens and shows no gratitude, respect or regard for their lives of work and contribution to society. It makes no economic sense. There is no saving as the alternatives are more expensive.

I call on the Minister of State to restore the hours available for the home help service to at least the 2002 level. Even if he has no regard for the elderly or the infirm, I suggest he does it for good economic reasons given that his party is driven by economic policies. The home help service provided on a shoestring was the best social and economic scheme and must be restored.

I pay tribute to the home help workers who did an excellent job in a neighbourly way with a large number of people. Many of them have been physically withdrawn from helping 80 year olds living alone who must now live in expensive, State-run institutions. This is the situation at local level and it is crazy. I am aware the home help workers were awarded increases in pay but the allocations were not made to meet the increases in pay and the hours were reduced by 40% in County Kildare.

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