Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As a nation, we look at our children and decide how much we cherish them and at our elderly and decide how well they are cared for. Old age comes to each and every one of us. The west has the highest population of elderly people per capitaof the regions, with counties Leitrim and Roscommon having the highest number of people per capitawith dementia in the country. In recent years, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, has visited and reported on many care homes and the Health Service Executive has given commitments to address the problems highlighted in HIQA's reports. The findings of some of HIQA reports are questionable, including, for example, the finding that not more than one person should be accommodated in a room. Some elderly people in nursing homes, which are their homes, do not have any relatives and wish to have somebody near them to talk to. That issue is one to be fought on another day and one for politicians to resolve through regulations or laws.

I welcome the recent announcement by the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, that a funding package of €300 million will be provided for nursing homes and homes for persons with disabilities. I also welcome the announcement of a €150 million investment through public private partnerships, PPPs. I hope the new partnerships will not be similar to those used previously for medical centres as they gave builders a licence to print money. The State entered 25-year contracts that had to be renegotiated when they expired. The builders said the Government or State would pay €1 after 25 years to own the facilities.

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