Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is a serious crisis with home help hours and people being refused the service. On top of this, over the past few days we have heard that many people are being held in hospital with the fair deal scheme in chaos. If the truth were told, with the fiascoes of the likes of the national children’s hospital, there is penny-pinching going on in other services. HSE staff tell us that they are being told constantly that they must cut.

If that is what we think of those who need home help services, then we, as a country, are failing our people. We should be ashamed of ourselves if we are now attacking the most vulnerable to cover those who did not know how to do their figures when they were adding up the costs of hospitals. We will probably see the same with the broadband scenario. Will the Minister of State sort out the home care, fair deal and home help schemes immediately?

See this speech in context