Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the motion is to request Deputies of all parties to do the right thing by reversing the most recent and previous cutbacks in the home care services, which affect the most dependent people in our communities, those who cannot live independent lives in their own homes without societal support. It is difficult to say everything I want to say about this in five minutes. I want to talk about the things that people are saying to me. I want to talk about things like humanity, respect, decency and social obligations. I want to talk about the legal framework and particularly the distinction between discretionary and mandatory services. I want to talk about stated Government policy as opposed to ideology and practice. I want to talk about consequences for people, for their families, for health professionals and not least for politicians.

When I talk to people about cutbacks in home help services I am talking about elderly people living alone in isolated rural areas who cannot rest, wash, set the fire or cook for themselves. They are being told that their home help is being cut from one hour five days a week to 30 minutes three days a week, following a so-called assessment. I have spoken to parents of severely autistic children after they have been informed by the State that their child is not sufficiently disabled to merit the carer's allowance or a respite care. I have spoken to family members who have seen home help reduced or withdrawn from their elderly dependent relatives. I have also seen reductions in day-centre services, transport services, voluntary organisation funding and carer's allowance - if the family is lucky enough to qualify for half rate carer's allowance.

Owing to the decisions made by this and the previous Government, it is now the case that not even the postman calls to elderly people living in isolated rural areas. What about aspects such as humanity, respect, decency and social obligation? Irish people are very good at looking after their dependent family members. Most Irish people will only place dependent relatives, whether they are children, parents or grandparents, into residential care when they can no longer maintain them at home. If civilised people in Irish society could speak with one voice, that voice would say, "Reverse these cutbacks". We, as a Parliament working on behalf of society, should do everything in our collective power to help people to do the right thing. Instead of that we are withdrawing the meagre supports available to help people to do the right thing.

Do we do this because home help and home care services are not legally mandatory services? Is this why they are always first to be cut? Is it because those who receive and also provide home care are not an effective political lobby? Is it because the real unstated agenda is to privatise all home care support services? The Government claims it wants to keep people living in their own homes for as long as possible. It claims to be developing primary and community services in order to reduce demand on acute hospitals and on residential care. It also claims the best place for people to be is in their homes as long as they can stay there. This makes humanitarian, social and economic sense. Deputy Nash spoke about hypocrisy. The real hypocrisy will be when he presses the button to vote tonight. It is hypocrisy to have these stated intentions and then make home help and home care services a privilege rather than right.

These cutbacks will mean more people in residential care and will mean people spending longer than is medically necessary in our overcrowded acute hospitals. The cutbacks will regrettably but inevitably result in elderly vulnerable people prematurely dying alone. They will result in carers and home helps reaching and passing breaking point. They will result in local public health nurses, who provide an invaluable caring role within the community, being regarded as agents for HSE cuts and they will result in more money going into the pockets of for-profit health care providers. Deputies from the Government parties must know this.

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