Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the contributions from Deputies on all sides of the House. We do not claim to have a monopoly on empathy on this side of the House nor do we claim to have a monopoly on understanding but this was an important motion to put down to give people the opportunity to express genuine views. There is an underlying narrative from Deputies on all sides. We are more direct on this side but among the Minister of State's colleagues on the Government side there is a major problem with the budget and the targeting of this cohort of elderly people. There is no point in dressing it up in any way. The figures and statistics are there. More important is that the budget's impact on people's lives is there for everybody to see. Now we have the vista of these cuts having a major impact on older people who want to live independently, without fear and not in isolation.

On a couple of occasions, the Minister of State has pointed out that 35,000 people will move from a full medical card to a GP only card. What I find fascinating about the debate is that in 2008 when universality was changed again and a guideline of €700 per week was introduced it was regarded as bad, terrible, but now he tries to tell us that €500 per week is good. We have to live in the real world. There has been a consistent undermining of eligibility for medical cards. We see case after case of people in their eighties - Deputy Smith gave the example of a person of 90 years of age - who are randomly selected for a review. We are dealing with public money so of course we must live within guidelines but the idea that a person's income and health is going to change dramatically when they are 93 or 94 years of age simply beggars belief. If the Government does target them for a review it should at least do so in a systematic way that does not put the fear of God in older people when they get letters asking for further information.

We asked this at committee. It is randomly selected by a computer. Perhaps the Minister of State should turn off the computer, have a look at the files and ask why on earth one would send out a letter to a person aged 88 who is blind and incontinent and depends on support from family to live. The person is asked whether their circumstances have changed and is told the authorities want further information. This also involved a constituent of Deputy Smith aged 96. This is what is happening.

We tabled these motions not just to highlight some of the hypocrisy of what was said and what is being done in the context of budgets but also to highlight genuine concerns of many citizens who are feeling the impact not only of the cuts but also of the weight of the State in intimidating them with unnecessary letters. When a person is 96 years of age, is it not time for the State to leave that person alone? When the Minister of State is talking about understanding and communications, I urge him at least to put a bit of heart and understanding into the fact these people have given this country great service and are entitled to live with dignity and without any further oppression in the context of forms or, as the Taoiseach said, the Government man calling. The Government man is calling. He is calling every day but not only is he calling to the house, he is taking money directly out of their pockets in the context of this budget.

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