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

First, I thank Labour for putting forward this very important motion today. Since I came up here, one of the things I have been consistently raising is the fact that we need more home helps and people need to be helped to stay in their homes as long as possible. They treat going into nursing homes as being the departure lounge and they feel they still have a chance if they stay at home. I thank our home helps for the wonderful work that they do. Some of them feel they are not being paid properly and that they are not being paid for overtime.

The fair deal scheme is another area that I have a serious problem with at present. Elderly people who go into the hospital, maybe 13 or 12 times, and are sent back home in a taxi when they are clearly not fit for it. They want to go into nursing homes. I know at least half a dozen of them at the present time. The HSE will not sign off to give them the green light to go forward for the fair deal scheme. I am asking the Minister of State today whether there is enough funding for the fair deal scheme for the rest of the year. It seems to me that there is not.

See this speech in context