John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support my colleague, Deputy O'Dea, in introducing this legislation. I wish to put on the record that it is not the first time we have discussed it as a party. Legislation does not just appear; Deputy O'Dea brought this to our parliamentary party for discussion before the Bill was produced. My recollection is that there was at the time widespread understanding of and support for the issue and that the legislation was brought forward with enthusiasm. Deputy O'Dea in his contribution set out clearly the issue of our ageing population. He then referred to the level of support in various nursing homes and the requirement involved. All of us in our constituencies and our families are well aware of the increased supports people require as they get older, and most of us strive in so far as possible to keep those family members in our own homes. For many people, the idea of going into residential care is a last resort. My own family is no different from many others to which I have spoken.

I am disappointed by the amendment to defer the Second Reading of the Bill by six months because, as Deputy O'Dea said, this is not a full solution but a step, and one step only. What the Bill does is afford an opportunity of choice for somebody who would qualify on medical needs and who would be assessed as being on the fair deal nursing home scheme to go into a nursing home. At that point, it gives them the option to get a level of support that would keep them in their own homes or go into residential care. I am disappointed that this cannot be progressed more rapidly. I fully support what the Minister of State said about the greater review regarding greater supports across the whole range of services but this is specific. I refer to the cohort of people whose particular aim is to go directly into the fair deal nursing home scheme. The Minister of State referred to a couple of reasons for her amendment. She said:

The Bill confers an entitlement to home care services. Funding made available for residential care under the fair deal is not an entitlement. It is subject to available resources and a national placement list is in operation.

Effectively, what Deputy O'Dea is trying to get at is that these are the same people. It is merely proposed to give them a choice. At the moment, they end up having to go into residential care because the funding model, which is, as Deputy O'Dea said, to retain people in their own homes, would be one third of the cost of a residential place. That is the crux of what we are trying to engage with.

The Minister of State went on to say the fair deal scheme could be overwhelmed. My point is that we have an ageing population. This problem, this issue, must be dealt with. If we are being overwhelmed administratively, we need to resource it, but we need to be able to give people choices. As I said, at the moment, my concern is that if the cohort of people with which we are dealing qualify for the fair deal scheme and need that level of support, the only option available to them is to take the level of support in a residential rather than a domestic setting.

The Minister of State spoke, rightly, about the aspect of the scheme about which she has a concern. She said that under the fair deal scheme, the recipient pays 80% of his or her weekly income and so on and that 20% would not be enough to live on. She further made the point about the contribution of 7.5% of the value of the home, etc., and said the fair deal scheme was not envisaged in this regard. I take these points. The purpose of debating legislation such as this on Second Stage is to make the necessary arrangements or amendments, to which we are open. Then we will be able to make this happen and facilitate as quickly as possible a group of people which we believe are going into residential care and, with this legislation in place, would have a choice. The Minister of State has raised issues that we are prepared to address on Committee Stage and in respect of which we are prepared to accept Government amendments. However, to propose a deferral of Second Stage for three months and revisit the matter then is to engage in another, different programme.

The legislation Deputy O'Dea has introduced is quite narrow and specific and is nothing more than a first step. I ask the Government to reconsider the deferral for six months. I ask the Minister of State to table on Committee Stage the relevant amendments in respect of the issues she has identified to make this happen and to give these people, who at the moment face the choice between qualifying for the fair deal and residential care only, the option of residential or domestic care with the level of medical support required.

See this speech in context