David Norris (Independent)

Darndale, yes, I remember that very clearly.

In respect of this Adjournment matter, I must declare a series of interests. I have raised it because of some old friends of mine who may be known to the Minister of State, at least by reputation. I have asked their permission to mention their names. They are George Morrison and his wife Janet. George is one of our most distinguished artists in film, having made films such as "Mise Éire" and "Saoirse". Like many artists, he is not a money grubber. He has not always had huge amounts of money but he has made a comfortable and civilised home for himself in a little by-way near Shankill. However, a short time ago he suffered a bad stroke, which incapacitated him to some degree. It means that he cannot drive a car and neither can his wife who has also been unwell. They would have been in difficulty has it not been for a group called Choices, which was founded by the sister-in-law of a lady with whom I was in college. There are therefore all kinds of connections here and Choices is run by a remarkable group of people.

In case I overstay my time, I want to frontload the demand now. We are seeking funding amounting to €30,000 in order to put the existing driver in the scheme on a full-time basis. The current driver has been with them for three years. The idea of the scheme is that people who are incapacitated make use of the befriending service and its driver in order to take them to the post office, chiropodist, chiropractor, the chemist to collect prescriptions or the library to exchange books. Without such a service, elderly people would be isolated, lonely and deprived.

This unique service has been running for 18 years and is largely dependent on community employment schemes. As the Minister of State knows, however, these schemes terminate after three years. The current driver is coming to the end of his period. He is known and loved by the clients. It is so often necessary to ensure that elderly, dependent people know and trust the person who is dealing with them. The driver is reliable, trustworthy and responsible. The service provided to these people is totally free of charge. In addition, State agencies already rely on this service and, in turn, refer people to it. Although the State is making use of it, the service receives no core funding whatever. There are minor fundraising events such as cake sales, and the service occasionally receives grants from charitable endowments. Over the last five years, the transport service has been funded by people in need. They must pay for diesel, maintain the people carrier and they now want core funding to keep the enterprise going.

The service started 15 years ago. In 1989, there was an RTE programme on the problems of isolation facing elderly people and the pressures placed on them by society. As a result, a sister-in-law of a friend of mine decided to get something done, distributed leaflets to local shopping centres and areas of housing where older people lived and was amazed at the overwhelmingly positive response.

The people involved indicated their priorities and of utmost importance was addressing the issue of loneliness. A lack of day-to-day company and social contact left elderly people feeling isolated. Transport was also an issue and the problems of getting to and from the doctor, post office, chiropodist, shops and the outpatients area of hospital were mentioned. Such a service is not only a practical necessity, it also provides a social outlet that relieves depression, lets elderly people meet others and even argue. The service also helps in the collection of pensions and prescriptions.

After the initial phase, the befriending the elderly service began. The group wisely and sensitively decided not to go into competition with existing local parish services such as those provided by St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church in Crinken. Instead of walking roughshod all over such services, they negotiated and sought to find out how they could complement them.

Many long-established clients rely on the service and it would be a great pity if they were to be deprived of it. As I indicated, the value of the service is evident in the fact that the group receives some support, albeit sporadic, from groups such as the FÁS community employment schemes, the County Dublin Vocational Educational Committee and so on. At the moment, more than 40 clients are on the befriending list, and without the support of Choices Local Enterprises and the befrienders, they would have no way of accessing the kind of services and community facilities they can with this team. The clients have been enabled to maintain their ability to live independently and we have often heard in this House of the value of independent living to people in wheelchairs and people with intellectual disabilities.

The group provides a service for people who are isolated, elderly, victims of stroke and debilitating illnesses and so on, with no cost to the client. There is support from community employment schemes but such schemes terminate after three years. The seven seater bus used for clients was paid for through funding from People in Need but everything else was paid for through fundraising.

However, the group is on a very tight budget, as is clear in the pathetic funding scheme I have in my possession. The Christmas raffle raised €596 and clients' donations raised €45: the widow's mite. Car cleaning is listed here as earning €247.41, so some volunteers must have performed a bob-a-job style fundraiser like the scouts. I do not know what the Catherine Howard Foundation is but it is obviously a charitable group and it provided €1,500. A printing and secretarial service came to €257 and the group ran a bingo night that came to almost €1,000. Expenses included petrol, bingo shopping, van maintenance and a Christmas party for clients that cost less than €500. Who could possibly begrudge them that little bit of fun and entertainment? I know the Minister of State would not.

After all this, Choices Local Enterprises ended up €18.08 in the red. I believe the Minister of State will understand what a significant function is played by this admirable group and I hope he will indicate a method whereby the State can assist in ensuring the service continues.

It is remarkable that an artist of the calibre and standing of George Morrison, who has given so much service to this State, should have found it necessary to approach me regarding this issue. He said he and Janet were in difficult circumstances and could not have survived without this group. If this service is not continued, 40 clients will go without and a number may then need to be taken into State-funded care facilities. Although it may be unwarranted, many elderly people are terrified at going into such facilities involuntarily owing to recent publicity on television programmes. Such a scenario would also cause a significant charge to the State so it would be both a good day's work and a good investment to find a way to provide some assistance to this wonderful group.