Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, we are doing exactly what I said we should not do, in respect of having a group for this, a chat about that, an expert group on the other and a cross-departmental team on something else. The reality is that this is a problem now. When we get to early autumn and into winter, it is going to be a much worse problem. We must pay home carers more money and remunerate them for adequate expenses, especially given the astronomical rise in costs. If we do not do that, then we will have a major problem in our hospitals, nursing homes, etc., later this year. It will be much worse. It is already bad, but it will be much worse then.

My point is that when we want to and when we are under the glare of the international spotlight regarding our reactions, which we all welcome in respect of helping our Ukrainian friends, we can pay thousands of euro every week to house people and to ensure they are looked after. Indeed, if the Secretary General of the Department of Health needs an extra €80,000, we can do that overnight as well. It is as clear as the nose on my face why there is a recruitment problem in this area. Let us address it, look after people who are rehabilitating and in the twilight of their lives and keep the pressure off our hospitals and nursing homes. They are already under pressure. The Minister of State will bring what I am saying back to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. I understand she is otherwise engaged this evening. I very much hope, however, instead of there being the usual administrative merry-go-round, which we tend to embrace and then say something has been dealt with, that we can use the same can-do, let-us-get-it-done attitude as we did when dealing with Covid-19 and the Ukrainian refugee crisis. I do not see the same level of urgency and the same can-do attitude manifested when it comes to looking after our own and I would like to see it in this instance.

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