Joe Callanan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

What happened at Leas Cross was completely unacceptable. Since the emergence of the issues raised by Leas Cross the HSE has made many improvements in its nursing home inspection process. The working group on nursing home inspections and registrations produced a report in July this year which set out a consistent and robust template that now underpins the inspection process. The HSE has embarked on a programme of standardising inspection reports across the country in accordance with current legislation. As part of this process there is significant engagement with the private nursing home sector and the nursing home inspection teams.

Most of the private nursing homes are providing very good care. With more inspections being carried out without prior notice we can look forward to an excellent standard of care in our nursing homes. It is very important that we continue to provide public geriatric beds and I welcome the decision to build a new unit at St. Brendan's hospital, Loughrea, where care of the elderly is of a high standard. I compliment the nurses and everybody involved at that hospital. I also welcome the proposal to build a new community nursing home in the grounds of St. Brigid's Hospital, Ballinasloe.

I attended a meeting in Claregalway at the weekend concerning private nursing homes. The sons and daughters and other relatives of elderly people in such institutions attended the meeting to discuss nursing home subventions. Speaker after speaker said how difficult it was for them to keep their elderly in nursing homes due to the lack of proper subventions. This is a topic I have spoken on before because the rate of payment in Galway is one third of what is being paid in the eastern part of the country. I know the Minister is reviewing the situation with a view to creating a better and fairer scheme for the elderly in nursing homes, and I welcome this. I also welcome the Minister's introduction of the home care packages. I have long promoted the notion of home-based subvention, but I have always felt an old person should have the choice of being looked after in his or her own home for as long as possible. This can now be done under the home care packages, but we must increase the budget for this service as there will be growing demand for it.

Social services that provide day care and meals and wheels for older people do not get the recognition they deserve. I am very familiar with Ballinasloe and Portumna social services, which provide excellent services and care for many elderly people, who mostly live alone, by providing them with hot meals and bussing them to day centres, two or three days a week. There they meet their elderly friends and enjoy themselves, while being looked after by caring staff, most of whom are voluntary. This type of service keeps hundreds of elderly people out of hospital and would cost the State millions. I ask the Minister to provide greater funding for such groups.

I also welcome the increase in funding for home helps in 2006, bringing the budget for that area up to €30 million, which is providing more home help hours for those who need them. It is the Government's policy to maintain older people in dignity and independence at home, in accordance with their wishes, while at the same time providing high quality residential care when they can no longer be maintained in this manner at home. Forecasts suggest that by 2031 the percentage of the population aged over 65 will be between 18% and 21%. The Government is committed to services for older people, both residential and community based, to meet the demands of a growing elderly population. From 1997 to 2005, inclusive, additional spending on health services for older people was in excess of €302 million. The total spend in 2006 will be €1.2 billion. I compliment the Minister on her great work on behalf of the elderly and I support the Government's amendment.

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