Dáil debates

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions: Motion [Private Members]

 

10:10 am

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

I thank our front-line workers in Kerry who did massive work in our hospitals and nursing homes. Anywhere they were required, they did their level best and did Trojan work.

I have to say to the Minister that people have been dying from things other than the coronavirus. People with cancer and people with hip and knee difficulties and so on have been left behind to suffer in pain. In time the tale will be told of the damage and neglect that has been meted out to these people. Elderly and sick people in their homes have by and large been left to their own devices because GPs could not go to their homes. In severe cases, all people could do was to go to the accident and emergency department. Even people who had paid for private healthcare have been neglected. They could not access the services they had paid for and rightly deserved to get because the public hospitals took over the private hospitals. They were left behind.

The cross-border directive is in serious jeopardy. Deputy Michael Collins and I are at our wits' end because we do not know what will happen after 31 January. It was so important to keep that system going to ensure that people did not lose their sight or that they would not continue to suffer in pain. It seems that the Taoiseach is not interested in keeping that service going.

I mention mental health and suicide among middle-aged people and loneliness. A recent damning report by the Mental Health Commission cited major deficiencies in the level of mental healthcare for patients in Kerry and it is getting worse rather than better. The Minister and the Taoiseach said the Government would provide more district beds and beds for people who needed to go into hospital. What it has done is close down beds in our district hospitals. In one public nursing home in Killarney, the Government has closed 27 beds and they are still closed.

School transport and the 50% rule really came to light in Kerry. The Government did not give people the service and the way it was done was that people who always had tickets to go to the secondary school did not get tickets until recently and not all of them have their tickets yet. Even college students in Killarney were disenfranchised. They could not go to Tralee because Bus Éireann put on another run from Dingle to Killarney and Tralee. However, Bus Éireann did not have drivers to continue the school bus going to the Institute of Technology Tralee from Killarney and it left 18 to 20 students standing on the side of the road for several days.

Rural pubs have been closed all year. The owners of those pubs are suffering mentally and financially because of that. I mention the people who used to frequent those pubs, including the people from the hills and glens of Kerry. Many of them have not seen a pint since last March and it could be next March or farther on before they get one.

How is it that farm inspections are still taking place? They are taking place on behalf of all the agencies, even though when farmers or business people want something, the reason given for not helping them is that no one can come out to help due to the coronavirus.

However, the enforcement officers and inspectors can go out. The banks are using the coronavirus to safeguard themselves. Many young people who are rightfully entitled to and who want to put a roof over their heads, and who should be lauded for that given what is happening with the social housing list, are being ignored by the banks. Even though we as a nation bailed out the banks, they are ignoring the young people who want to access a mortgage for the purpose of putting a roof over their heads. That is a disaster. The Government will have to call them aside and ensure people get what they rightfully deserve.

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