Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Tom Fleming and the Technical Group for allowing me some of their speaking time and I compliment Deputy Fleming for bringing forward this excellent Private Members' motion. The Minister is correct that our elderly people are to be cherished, adored and thanked for the great work they have done over the years, not least in bringing all of us into the world. Deputy Fleming is correct that the place everybody wants to be is in their own home. The Minister and the Government should do everything they can to help with that, such as increase the home help hours rather than cut them because they have been cut an awful lot.

I thank the people who provide a home help service - they do great work. Every one of them puts in hours every day for nothing. They go into a house but they do not look at the clock and decide they have to go after 30 minutes; instead, they stay on and do whatever needs to be done, going above and beyond the call of duty. We have to increase their hours.

Local authorities do great work in administering grants such as the disabled persons' grants, essential repair grants and mobility aid grants but in County Kerry the great people who work in these departments have to treat money like the loaves and fishes because they have so many people looking for assistance but such limited resources. I acknowledge the money that does go into these services but it is never enough because more is always wanted. If a person cannot be in their home the next best place is the nearest they can be to their home. Great work is done in our community hospitals but community hospitals have space and beds which are not being opened up and utilised to their full potential. In Kenmare we have an excellent, state-of-the-art community hospital about which I know a lot because it was my father who put it there and I know the Minister will acknowledge that. However, more beds need to be provided. The upstairs is not used at all and there is a massive demand for it. We have a similar situation in the community hospital in Dingle where, instead of putting in beds, they have put in office space.

Great work is also done by our private nursing homes but I must express outrage at the actions of HIQA. The Minister must respect HIQA and the work it does, as I do to a limited extent. However, some of the things it does not only to private nursing homes but the HSE and public hospitals suggest it is an out of control monster. I recently saw the list of demands by HIQA but it knows nothing about the delivery of health care. It has lost sight of what it was set up for in the first place and a big mistake was made when HIQA was given the powers it was given by the previous administration. I would dearly love to see the wings of HIQA being clipped. If the Minister of State or the Minister were to do it I would back them 100% because they should be clipped. If they are not clipped by this Government maybe they will be clipped in the future.

I acknowledge and I am thankful for the fact that the Government is in agreement with the motion and not opposing it. While it is great that the motion is being accepted in its entirety, I very much look forward to seeing it being implemented. In other words, I look forward to seeing the issues referred to in it being addressed one by one and the Government translating its words into actions.

I again thank Deputy Tom Fleming for tabling the motion.

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