Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

——it was payback time for them, and perhaps there was a lot more to do in that area.

We have witnessed cutbacks in home help hours. When one hears of the work home helps do, and Senator Glynn outlined that work, one realises they are the unsung heroes in the health service. If one talks to any family member with elderly parents who want to live at home, one hears that those families need a little help from the State. It is only a little help involving a home help working for a few hours a day, if possible. Senator Terry mentioned that her parents have a home help service of two hours and one hour, respectively, per week. This is contrary to what the Minister for Health and Children stated. She wants to see much more home help made available but she also said that while the Government has done a lot it has a lot more to do. How long more will we hear that?

The Government parties have been in power for the past eight years. Over the past 20 years they have been in power for almost more years than we can imagine. We still hear the same old story, cry and cnáimhseáil, that Rome was not built in a day. We heard that again today. Rome would never have been built if this Government had been in power.