Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

I thank Deputy Michael Collins and his group for giving us the chance to talk about this worthy motion this morning. I support everything that has been said. It should be every politician's ambition to allow elderly people to stay and be seen after in their own homes for as long as possible. That is not happening in Kerry. At the present time, you can qualify to get home help or a home care package but no one arrives because there are no people to provide that home help. That is very serious. I am sure the Government could be more inventive in ensuring that people are available to do this very worthy work, which would save the State an awful lot of money.

I concur with that new TD over there whom I do not know said. I thank him for raising the issue of the fair deal scheme and how it affects the farming community. As I have often said before, when it comes to assessing people's farms and the conditions that are imposed, even under the new scheme, the fair deal scheme is a lousy deal for farmers. It is not a fair deal. It is a lousy deal for farmers and must be reviewed. As that man has said, the value of the farm can be wiped out before the person who is sick passes on or something like that happens. That is very unfair. The farm should not be assessed.

There is a hospital in Cahersiveen. There were four beds there for elderly people. They were done up, revamped and everything but they have not been used for the last four years because there are no staff to staff them. Cahersiveen is very far away. If you get sick on the Iveragh Peninsula, Cahersiveen is the nearest place to you. You are miles away from Killarney, Tralee, Listowel, Kenmare or anywhere else. That has to be seen after. Those four beds have to be reopened.

The means test is one of the things we ensured was in the programme for Government. It must be abolished for carers because it is not fair. Am I all right yet?

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