Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being here this evening for this debate. Dublin Bay North is the area that I represent and it has a very mature population, so this topic is directly relevant to us on the northside in that constituency. During the election campaign, we campaigned on this issue in terms of positive ageing and it got good traction with those mature communities. People in Ireland are proactive. Our older citizens are very proactive and they really want to be positive and take an active role in making their own decisions in terms of health living, living longer and those lifestyle choices. This is a really good area to be involved in.

I want to mention two examples. Right-sizing accommodation for older people has been mentioned earlier on the floor of the House.

I spoke yesterday to a constituent in Kilbarrack. He is a man in his late 50s or early 60s. He lives in a three-bedroom council house and he is looking to downsize to a one-bedroom council accommodation, ideally an apartment. It is not directly related to health, but it is indirectly related in that if we can facilitate such an individual, it is better for his physical and mental health. It is the same for people in private housing in Dublin Bay North. During the general election, a lot of people such as parents whose children are gone, have flown the nest, were in large houses and looking for ways to go. I see Deputy O'Donnell nodding his head. It is an important issue in Dublin Bay North and I look forward to the Government making progress on that as a key element of housing.

The other area I will mention is the Go for Life programme. I welcome the commitment to it in the programme for Government. It is a roll-out of activity for older people and people with chronic illnesses by the HSE with sports partnerships with bodies such as Dublin City Council, which is a good local partnership with a lot of reach into the community. That has huge potential to partner with social enterprises, such as ExWell Medical, that have expertise.

The last thing I will mention is Beaumont Hospital, which covers a huge northside catchment area with mature communities and it is also a national centre for a whole range of specialties. It has been underinvested in for as long as I have been in politics, more than 20 years, in terms of capital, but a huge amount of work is done there. To support people living longer, three key projects, namely, the new emergency department, the 100-bed tower and the new intensive care unit, are all vital for the northside, for all those specialties and the people who come from around the country to use Beaumont Hospital. I hope the Government will allocate that capital and that we can work with Beaumont Hospital and the Government-----

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