Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It badly hurt many people that the Minister a couple of weeks ago said that elderly people were going to be means-tested for home help. That is shameful and disgraceful when a proper service is not currently being provided. Many people only get a half an hour of home help in the morning and the same in the evening, amounting to five hours per week. Such people do not receive any assistance at weekends or bank holidays and definitely will not get any on Christmas Day. They have to pay for private home help, which means that they are using up their pensions and have to get help from family members. That is the truth of what is happening in Kerry. It is not fair. Members know that some HSE officials receive huge salaries. It is not fair that the Government is thinking of means-testing sick and elderly people whose home help provision has been cut to minutes. We are asking that in certain cases where people need more home help and the fair deal scheme is an option, some of the money allocated to the fair deal should instead be used to provide proper care for them at home.

I want to particularly thank day care services. There is a wonderful such service in Rockmount in Kilgarvan, another in Rathmore and more in other places, towns and villages in Kerry. Such organisations provide a great service. They pick up elderly people on a bus and bring them out for a few hours on three or four days each week. It means a huge amount to people and the family members caring for them that they can have a break.

As regards respite, there is a lovely new hospital in Kenmare which has only one respite bed for the entire area. Half of the beds in the hospital are not being used. Such situations need to be examined. I could talk for far longer but I am butting into someone else's time. Families are doing great work but we need to help and support them and that is why we have been elected to this House. I ask the Minister of State to listen to what is being said and to ensure that those people get recognition.

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