Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue. I tabled a motion on the Order Paper earlier this week about establishing a commission for the status of older people to monitor and oversee progress on issues of particular relevance to older people and to establish a dedicated Department for the elderly with a Minister with responsibility for the elderly appointed by the Government.

Some 11% of the population, 465,000 people, is older than 65. It is projected that by 2026, 17% of the population will be older than 65. In the last general election, 71% of the people aged over 65 voted, whereas less than 38% of people in the 18 to 25 category voted. In reality the older people elect governments, but probably have least say despite the many serious issues affecting them. We all recognise they have contributed significantly throughout their lives to the economic and social development of the country and the prosperity we now enjoy. As a society we owe a duty of care to our older population. It is a true measure of a nation's sense of value that it gives the respect to older people that they deserve.

Combat Poverty Agency has advised that 27% of the older people, 123,000 people, are in the poverty trap and are living on less than €185 per week. The State pension of €185 per week is less than 34% of the average industrial wage. We are the lowest of the OECD countries where the average pension is 68.7% of the average industrial wage, which indicates a significant gap. Many of our older people are now caught in a poverty trap and feel they cannot speak out because of the affluence of today's society. In many opinion polls, the cost of living is identified as the biggest issue for elderly people. While they say so privately in opinion polls, they find it difficult to speak out. When I have attended public meetings involving Age Action Ireland and the older citizens in my constituency, these have been the issues mentioned as causing them great concern.

On many occasions I have spoken in this House about the discrimination in nursing home subventions. In the west a person can get a maximum subvention of €190.50, whereas a person living in Dublin can get €850 per week. I have already received a commitment from the Minister for Health and Children that equalisation of those subvention rates will be introduced. However, a new applicant in County Mayo still cannot get an enhanced subvention. It is a disgrace and needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency. A person qualifying for maximum subvention, who is unlucky enough not to be able to get a public bed and is forced to go into a private nursing home, will only get 30% of the cost of the private nursing home bed, which means many elderly people cannot afford to go into private nursing homes and as a result live at home, often in dreadful circumstances.

The rural transport initiative was a wonderful innovation on the part of the Government but it is not sufficient and needs to be extended. Further public funding must be put in place. Older people recognise it as an excellent service, but in many instances voluntary groups of elderly people are coming together to enhance the service provided.

Access to public services has arisen as a problem, particularly in the context of ageism in the health care area. The maximum age for breast screening is 65 and for cervical screening it is 60. Breast screening is not yet available in the west. When it is introduced, is it correct that the maximum age for the service should be 65?

There is discrimination against elderly people in respect of driving licences and the cost of motor insurance. Travel insurance for a person over the age of 65 is three times that relating to a person under 65.

Many women of my mother's generation who gave up their jobs to look after their children are now retired and have no incomes on their own. Some mechanism must be found to provide people in this category with incomes. Every woman in the country should have an independent income.

There is a need to enhance home help services, home-care packages and night nurse facilities for people who need them. Funding must be given to voluntary groups to assist elderly people. The two biggest complaints from elderly people to the Equality Authority related to insurance costs and the service costs with which these individuals are faced.

I articulated a particular point on a number of recent occasions and I mentioned it to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan. I refer to the adult dependant allowance. A commitment was given in the programme for Government to increase this allowance to 100% of the principal recipient's payment. However, that has not happened. It was also stated that it would, in most cases, be paid to the woman in her own right. The Minister has indicated that he takes the issue seriously and I hope he will announce something in the budget.

Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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I call on the Minister of State to reply.

Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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When I tabled this matter, I was contacted by one of the Departments involved and informed that——

Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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The Deputy should conclude. She has exceeded the time allocated.

Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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——it would be impossible to co-ordinate a reply in respect of these issues that could be delivered in five minutes. I replied that this underlines the point I am making. We need a designated Minister with responsibility for the elderly.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It is good to see that she is in full voice again.

Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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I never lost it.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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On foot of the way in which our pensions system is organised, surveys such as those presented by the OECD in, for instance, its publication Pensions at a Glance can provide a distorted picture of the economic position of older people in Ireland. The survey focuses on the cash income provided through state pension systems and, in our case, makes no allowance for the role played by private occupational pensions or for the additional supports — such as electricity and gas allowances — provided to pensioners through the household benefits scheme or through the provision of medical cards, etc. Furthermore the very high level of home ownership among older people here is not reflected in such surveys and also impacts on the resources available to people in retirement. Accordingly, while such surveys are useful to compare aspects of the pensions systems across other countries, they are not, for the reasons outlined, a true indication of the economic position of our older people.

In respect of income poverty specifically, the most recent EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions for 2005, published this week by the Central Statistics Office, found that the percentage of older people below the 60% median income threshold has decreased from 27% to 20% in just one year. The latter compares to a rate of 18.5% for the population as a whole. This does not include the impact of the major pension increases provided for in 2006.

The needs of older people will remain a priority for the Government and this has been demonstrated by the numerous initiatives which have been taken in the past ten years in the area of pensions, supports for carers and household benefits. For example, since 1996 pensions have increased by almost 104%, or nearly 50% in real terms, faster than both price and wages growth in the same period. The Government is committed to achieving a target rate of €200 per week for social welfare pensions by 2007. In this regard, the budget to be presented next month by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, will be a landmark event.

Within the existing structure of social welfare pensions, which are based on contributory and means-tested payments, measures have been taken to provide personal pension payments to those who may have less than complete insurance records as a result of leaving the paid workforce to care for children or incapacitated people. These include the introduction of the homemakers scheme — which covers periods of caring from 1994 and under which up to 20 years spent on home duties can be disregarded in calculating pension entitlement — and an easing of qualifying conditions for both contributory and non-contributory pensions.

There are women who, for various reasons and despite the changes that have been introduced, remain outside the social welfare pensions system. Their position, as well as that of others who are not covered by social welfare pensions, will be considered in the context of the Green Paper on pensions to which the Government is committed as part of the new social partnership agreement, Towards 2016. The Green Paper will outline the major policy choices, the challenges in this area — including outstanding issues on social welfare pensions — and the views of the social partners. The Government is committed to responding to the consultations on foot of the Green Paper's publication and to developing a framework for comprehensively addressing the pensions agenda over the longer term. It is expected that the Green Paper will be published at the end of March next year.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs has responsibility for the provision of income support for carers and co-operates with other Departments on this issue, as appropriate. Issues relating to nursing home subvention rates are primarily a matter for the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive. Under the current assignment of responsibilities among Ministers of State, Deputy Seán Power, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, has special responsibility for older people.

A working group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprising senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs was established following the publication of the Mercer report, Study to Examine the Future Financing of Long-Term Care in Ireland. The objective of this group was to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care, taking account of the Mercer report, the consultation that was undertaken following that report and the review of the nursing home subvention scheme. The report of the group is currently being considered and I expect a decision to be taken in respect of this matter in the future.