Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I commend the authors of the report, in particular, the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus. This is a comprehensive motion and a tapestry for a framework on the nature of rights-based care and the evolution of care. At one stage in our history, people in care were institutionalised. That model obviously does not work and the community-based system in place now is better than the system we had in the past. Things have moved on but during one notch in time, the pandemic, we saw the divide in our health system between private and public healthcare. It did not really make a difference because public healthcare was at the cutting edge in trying to provide people with a way out of the pandemic.

Carers play an enormous role in the fabric of life, whether paid or not. I was a carer before I entered the Dáil and when my time in here finishes, I will probably go back to care work. It is extremely rewarding. The people I met in that job and vocation taught me a huge amount, not only about themselves but also about myself and society. There are carers in all walks of life, some of whom are paid while others are not paid. It is important to acknowledge that. In the capitalist system carers can go unnoticed and unrewarded. They are not looking for financial rewards, just the basics of caring, which can be arbitrary.

In particular, there is a huge lacuna around respite provision for people who need it. Carers need respite as well. There is a major divide in regard to those who can avail of respite care and those who cannot. I think the Minister of State will acknowledge that.

The motion acknowledges the role of private sector workers in care work. Twenty-five years ago, 80% of nursing home provision was run by the State. It is the opposite now, with 80% of care provided by the private sector. There are major downsides to this, particularly in respect of the pay and conditions of carers. There is a serious issue with recruiting carers and a serious shortage of staff. The reason for this is generally down to pay and conditions. That must be acknowledged.

The motion does not refer to the care and repair scheme, which is a brilliant service. The Government should be a bit more vocal in letting people know that they may be able to avail of it. I have seen how well the scheme works in practice but it goes under the radar when it comes to care provision. It is a very holistic and community-based type of care. There is not just the care aspect; there is also the repair. The scheme focuses on the kinds of community and human bonds that are extremely important in respect of care. Care evolves into many categories, as I have said. Focusing on human relationships is a very important part of care work.

There are huge deficits in the provision of care and in terms of who can avail of it. At one point or another in our lives, we all may need care or may provide care. There is a rich tapestry when it comes to how care works. There are a lot of deficits and divides between those who can avail of care and those who cannot. If there is one thing we can do as a caring society, it is to move towards a rights-based model that is focused on the UNCRPD, which is extremely important. People need rights and they need a say in how they are cared for. That is very important as we go forward.

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