Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

This is one of the richest countries in the world. The Minister referred to a €15 billion spend. The point is that the older people who really need this service are not getting it. I know there is collective responsibility in Cabinet and the Minister is well capable of banging the table. I hope he will bang the table in this regard, bearing in mind that an older person, with no income but his or her pension, has no choice but to borrow €110 to travel to Galway for essential hospital services and get home again, and has no way of getting this money back. It is disgraceful and it is important that the Minister uses whatever time he has left in Government to address this issue.

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