Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is shameful that approximately 600 people in Laois-Offaly alone are waiting for home help and home care packages. On Monday I attended a meeting in Mullingar which was organised by the Carers Association. I spoke to many carers and to people who are just fed up. Many of the carers to whom I spoke are caring not only for one family member, but for a number of them. They are at their wits' end. They are frustrated. In addition to this issue, there are people with disabilities who are not getting fair allocations of home help hours. It is appalling that again it is the most vulnerable who are not being supported and who are being abandoned by this Government. The freeze on home help hours is absolutely unacceptable. Our carers save this State billions of euro every year. The Minister of State knows that. It makes good economic sense to ensure that people are given a fair chance and a fair allocation of home help hours. I call on the Minister of State to make sure that happens and to end the postcode lottery with regard to access to home help hours and home care packages which exists in some regions, of which Laois-Offaly is one of the worst examples in the State.

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