Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

That is the effect of it.

As a member of the Committee of Public Accounts, I believe we will not only be revisiting individual care-related issues such as that which arose in Leas Cross, but that we will also be presented with a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on how public money has been wasted and should have been used far more effectively to care for our ageing population.

Consider how the Government responded to the child care problem. It was forced by policy initiatives and all Opposition parties into accepting that there should be direct payments to help with the care of children in family units. This principle should also be applied to families with ageing members. That we have a split standard shows the Government is again acting on a panic basis in respect of what is regarded as the most sexy political issue.

If the Government is to think on a long-term basis, which it is incapable of doing, it needs to recognise that we have an ageing population. When I and my peers were being educated at third level, the IDA used to broadcast an advertisement saying we were the young Europeans and that 50% of the population was under 25. This figure has increased significantly but a time will come, in 20 or 25 years, when quite a large proportion of the population will be over 60. What are we doing now to anticipate their needs and involve them in making the decisions that will meet these needs? In this regard, there is a dearth at the heart of Government thinking.

My Green Party colleague Deputy Gormley, our spokesperson on health, stated the party supports the legislation as it stands but believes it is a stop-gap measure and that there are many more areas in need of legislative redress in order to recognise and meet the needs of the elderly. Unfortunately, I am not confident that the Government will be able to meet those needs.

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