Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State and I am glad the Seanad has devoted time to discuss this important matter. The Minister of State will be aware that the Western Health Board area has the highest percentage of ageing population of any area in the State. This creates huge problems for the health board, in particular, which has to deliver services for the elderly and whose responsibility is greatest. The most important thing the Government could do is recognise – as the Minister of State suggested – that this is an interdepartmental problem and that all units of government must work together to ensure a decent quality of life for elderly people.