Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome this long overdue Bill which I want speedily enacted so that the repayments scheme can get under way in the near future. I hope the energy put into this debate, with the political excitement and the public anger about nursing home repayments, will be matched in the broader debate on care for the elderly. Care for the elderly is not just about nursing homes or securing a bed for an elderly relative in a local nursing home. We must ensure the elderly can be looked after in their communities and with their families for as long as possible through the carer's allowance and other grants and schemes. A national debate is needed on care of the elderly. Although the Bill is important in righting a wrong that was done, the real wrong is our inability to allow the maximum number of elderly people to reside where they prefer, which is in their communities with their families or in their homes.