Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome some of the comments made by the Minister of State on pay and conditions. When we were growing up, we all considered our parents as resilient and reliable people who provided for all our needs and comforted us in all our worries. As we become adults and, in some cases, parents ourselves, we realise the hard work and selflessness that goes into being a parent. We must and should be able to provide a good quality of life for our older citizens and parents, who choose to live out their lives in their own homes and communities in a home they have worked hard for. Many of our older citizens are rightly proud and wish to continue to have that independence of living in the home they have lived in, in many cases, all their lives, and most of the decades of their married lives.

As of July 2022, there are more than 5,000 older people on waiting lists for home care assistants, an increase of more than 10% since January. Almost 10% of older people approved for home support have no carer. No carers are available for them because there has been a failure. There is a general sense that people and our older generation have been let down. Some of them are the most vulnerable in our society. The lack of home care positions is also having a knock-on effect on our hospitals and nursing homes.

In the event that families are lucky enough to have home care in place, in most cases, the hours fall far short of the needs of the people home care assistants are caring for. There needs to be a major investment in recruitment and training in the home care sector. We need a pay agreement. I again welcome some of the comments the Minister of State made regarding a living wage and people getting paid appropriately. It has been and is disgraceful that there are carers who are only paid for the hours they spend in people's homes. I know that first-hand because I have spoken to a number of carers who come to my mother during the day to help her. When we think about it, as the Minister of State said, if one carer, for example, visits my parents in East Wall, he or she may then have to travel to Ballybough and then back to Sheriff Street, or may have to go to Summerhill. Carers do not get paid for all that time they spend travelling, which is absolutely outrageous.

The Minister of State said that she supports the majority of our motion but it is disappointing that she has tabled an amendment to it. It is important we implement what is required to help and support all the people who require help.

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