Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

That is important, because it did not seem clear in the Bill. I hope it is definite, because it would be totally wrong if that were not the case.

At the start of this debate the Minister stated:

We are making fair what has been unfair. We are making consistent what has been haphazard. We are making sure what has been in doubt. What has been unsettling will be reassuring. What has been unclear will be clear. What has been unpredictable will be predictable.

I wish I could get that same certainty from this Bill. I say this with all due respect, and I will come back to the points with which I started. There is a problem if there is a ceiling on the money concerned. That is not possible. There are many other schemes in this country which have no ceiling. How can the Minister put a ceiling on what is available to the elderly? Those people gave their lives for the State when things were more difficult even than they are today. My other concern relates to the issue of inspection of homes. More important, however, is the issue of who will decide who gets into a home. If there is a limited budget, who decides who will get the money that is available? That is the most serious issue of all. Political structures and pressures will be in place which will not be to the overall benefit of the elderly, whom we all want to see cared for.

My late mother died in a nursing home. I appreciate what the Sacred Heart home in Clones did for her. It was a sudden call because she deteriorated so quickly. That is the situation that many families are up against. I genuinely did not believe she would last more than weeks, but she lasted 15 months in the home because of the excellent care she got. Nobody should decide what the ceiling is and nobody should decide who can get the subvention and who cannot. It should be available for all who need it.

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