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

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion. This motion is so important because our sick people and people with disabilities have been hurt by this embargo on filling positions, employing more home help workers and even funding the fair deal scheme. I place no blame on the Ministers of State but I blame the Minister for Health and the Government for the way they have behaved. The Government has a legal obligation as an employer and it has let down the health service in a big way. We have had a situation for weeks where there is an embargo on recruiting staff. We also have this issue where the Fórsa trade union has commenced industrial action since Friday, 6 October. We are making representations on behalf of people for home help and the fair deal scheme and that is not good enough. Whatever their gripe or situation is has not been sorted out by the Government or the Minister for Health. That should be sorted out. People are entitled to healthcare but they do not get it. They come to us, whether it is me or other councillors or whoever, and they expect us to come back to them. We cannot come back to them when there is no one coming back to us. We have a list as long as my arm and it is not good enough.

We have a situation in certain areas in Kerry where home help workers are being told by their managers that they will not be paid for overtime. These home help workers are so good and conscientious that if one their comrades gets sick or has to go somewhere, be it to a family member or whatever, they fill the gap. However, they have been told by the managers that they will not be paid for overtime. That is not good enough. I will call out the managers who have done this if they do not change their ways because that is not fair. The home help workers are told that if they go to these people they will not be paid. That is not good enough.

I have at least a half a dozen people who have gone to the hospital by ambulance. Invariably they are sent home in taxis even though they are not fit to come home, and that is not good enough. One particular woman, along with the other five cases, wanted to go into a home, and the HSE would not qualify them for the fair deal. They will not get home help and they will not qualify for the fair deal so what are they supposed to do? I say to the Ministers of State that there is no need for a Committee on Assisted Dying because if this is what the health service is allowing to happen, they will die anyway. When they are 85 or 86 years of age, if they want to go into the nursing home they are entitled to the fair deal scheme. I would ask the Minister for Health the following question if he was here. What is wrong? This never happened before during my time. The fair deal arrangement was always approved if the person was sick enough and old enough and had no way of staying at home. This is ridiculous.

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