Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

Ba maith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta Wall. Tá an díospóireacht seo tábhachtach, agus tá athas orm a bheith páirteach inti.

The Central Statistics Office has predicted that the population cohort aged 65 and over will double by 2031, from approximately 11% of the total population to 22%. This projection indicates the extent of the provision that will be required for our aging population. Service provision for the elderly falls well short of what is needed. This underlines the scale of the challenge facing us. First and foremost, as the Minister of State has said, it must be the objective of society to keep our older people in dignity and independence in the community for as long as possible. Unfortunately, however, as our society becomes more violent we must add security to the aforementioned objectives of independence and dignity.

I was recently informed about a senior citizens' Christmas party in Waterford city, which was attended mostly by widows. These elderly ladies used to play bridge and bingo but no longer do so because they fear for their security if they go out at night. There are health implications involved when such people find themselves confined to their own homes. They are unable to take part in leisure activities due to the fact that they are living in fear. I accept that this is not a health issue per se but in examining services for the elderly we must consider a range of such services. The issue of security for older people requires attention. It is appalling that Ireland is no longer as pleasant a place to grow old in, as it once was. While the scourge of crime and anti-social behaviour is a growing crisis for society generally, and must be combated, we have a special duty to look after our senior citizens.

I also wish to deal with the issue of equity release by senior citizens on their homes to supplement their retirement income. Arising from the fact that interest rates on equity release products aimed at the over 60s are substantially higher than market rates, the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority expressed concern about equity release, particularly home reversion. With residential reversion, a 65-year-old owner of a house worth €600,000 can expect to get €114,961 for a 50% share. This rises to €158,773 for a 75 year old. These figures are alarming as regards the return to senior citizens. Age Action sees equity release as an option but the elderly need to consider their situation in the context of longer lifespan and ongoing care needs.

The chairman of the conveyancing committee of the Law Society, Mr. William B. Devine, has stated that equity release is a complicated area and there is a great deal of responsibility on solicitors to ensure that clients are in full possession of the facts.

The post-retirement market in Ireland is predicted by some to grow to €150 million by 2007. The Government must take all measures to ensure that senior citizens are not ripped off by greedy financial institutions.

I wish to focus on a couple of other care issues. The north-western part of county Waterford is in the south Tipperary community care area. The residential care centre for people in that region is in Cashel, County Tipperary, which is a very long way from their families. There are provisions for public patients both in Dungarvan and Waterford city but the rules are such that those patients will be referred to Cashel. This causes grave concern for families of senior citizens who go into residential care a long way from home. While they will obviously have fewer visitors, they will also be much further away from their own communities. Such links are so important to elderly people.

Deputy Twomey spoke about radiotherapy treatment services. The Waterford council of trade unions has tabled a resolution for the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament backing the provision of radiotherapy services in the local area. In some areas, radiotherapy services can be therapeutic for senior citizens, while in other areas they can be part of a palliative care product which gives older people a quality of life in their declining years.

I seek the Minister of State's assurance that in no circumstances will a senior citizen be passed over for treatment or put further back down the queue because they are older and thus not given priority for treatment on age grounds alone. I would be very concerned if that practice was happening anywhere in the health service.

Issues raised regarding the care and provision for older people range across a number of Departments. A SIPTU motion will go to the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament this year seeking that the recommended pension provision for the old age pension be increased from 34% of average industrial earnings to 40%. That is a reasonable request in our modern society where the cost of living is increasing for all sorts of reasons, such as the cold weather this winter and increasing fuel costs.

The issue of ageism is often raised. I am glad the Minister of State's Department allows new entrants to continue to work until the age of 70. However, that only applies to people who entered the service since 1 April 2004. On an incremental basis we should provide for all those who work in the health services to continue working until the age of 70 if that is their wish.

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