Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I will submit a series of questions to the Minister of State to check his facts to the effect that, in the majority of cases, the service is provided publicly by HSE staff. I dispute that contention and would like to see the figures that support it. Our experience is that more and more people are being treated as though there was an inheritance tax on their health when they get old because they have to seek private care providers to look after them and to come in and fill in the hours that are not available from the home help service. Some of my neighbours who deliver home help are told to go in and - in 15 minutes - clean up, get the messages, wash a person, get him or her out of bed, provide breakfast and then get out again. We cannot treat human beings in that way. Pressure is increasing for those who need care to go to the private operators. They are advertising enthusiastically and non-stop in respect of their services because the public service is letting people down. I am not eulogising the previous home help service but, by and large, it was far superior to what is available to people now. At least it was available to them and they did not have to root into their pensions, etc., and suffer a selective inheritance tax on their health.

See this speech in context