Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I wish to raise a matter brought to my attention by two families who contacted my office in Sligo yesterday. They have elderly family members in St. John's geriatric hospital in Sligo town, and they wish to take them home but cannot do so without getting home help. Apparently, there is a dispute at present — it is a national problem — where the people who organise the home help are in dispute with the Health Service Executive. This is creating hardship for elderly people in our communities because for each of those who want to get out of these hospitals, I am sure there are many others who wish to get into them. I call on everybody concerned to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.