Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their work on the Bill. Obviously, I do not support the legislation but I accept that the Department has had to deal with the issue. I appreciate the time constraints involved. The most important point is that there has to be a better way of proceeding than this one. There are not many alternatives for elderly people who require accommodation and nursing care. Very little has been done to provide sheltered housing for the elderly, be it private or State-assisted through local authorities. If the elderly clients of nursing homes were living in private rented accommodation and were assessed on their incomes, the State would probably be paying them rent supplements.

Under this legislation, however, we are treating elderly people differently from the rest of the community. Even if people are considered to owe money for various services, it is not generally deducted from their payments. We should ensure that older people have a basic minimum income, no matter where they reside. This was the point I sought to make on behalf of the senior citizens' group. What is being left to them under the provisions of this Bill, however, does not approach a minimum income. I hope the Minister of State and his departmental officials will re-examine this issue to ensure that at the very least, such elderly people will receive a decent payment.

Down the line, we may well decide to give payments to families for child care. In that case, we will say such care is necessary and we will do our best to ensure that people receive such payments and that they are not left without a reasonable income. The same applies for the elderly. I hope the Minister of State will re-examine this matter.