Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

This debate is very important. It is vital that we place on record and reaffirm our commitment to the welfare of older people and our recognition of their enormous contribution to society. We can be proud of older people and we should be grateful to them for what they have passed on to us. Older people helped to create the Celtic tiger. It is not their fault that the latter has some large thorns in its paws and is limping along at present.

Older people showed remarkable wisdom and foresight in the context of how they prioritised education. These individuals supported the State education system by paying their taxes and by highlighting the importance of education to their families. People who did not have the privilege of a lengthy education identified the value thereof and passed it on to their children. They also provided their children with great educational opportunities while enduring great hardship and poverty and making major sacrifices. Theirs was an enormous contribution and it was the key factor in the creation of the society in which we live and the economic success we have achieved. The fact that we can refer to upskilling people, diversification, etc., is due to the contribution made by older people in the past. We should salute those to whom I refer.

Old people are vulnerable to the extent that when they are the victims of abuse or wrongdoing, the knowledge relating to what they endured dies with them. The tragic, horrific and almost indescribable institutional abuse of young people that occurred over many years was brought to light because those who were victims of this abuse lived to tell their tales. Older people often do not live long enough to recount their experiences.

We should pay tribute to those in the voluntary sector who have helped older people for many years. I refer here to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other organisations. Positive Age is a major and successful group operating in County Cavan and it is doing great work. I ask that the Minister of State examine the "morning call" system that Positive Age has put in place in respect of older people. The latter can register with the organisation and specific people will be charged with contacting them by telephone each morning. Those in the voluntary sector have done great work for older people. In many instances they have taken up the slack in the absence of an adequate State response to the needs of older people.

The HSE recently published a report which states that the position in respect of the abuse of the elderly is stark and frightening. It indicated 1,500 were now under investigation by the State, with 96% of the cases being abuse by family members. This is reprehensible and requires following up, along with the highest form of vigilance. I ask the Minister of State in her response later to give the House an assurance on that score that the investigations will be speedy, rigorous and uncompromising, no matter what they must delve into. The abuse of older people is unacceptable.

With regard to our nursing homes, I put on record that it is my experience in visiting local nursing homes that in 98% of instances the care is excellent, compassionate and holistic. It is wonderful. We all know about Leas Cross and other instances where abuses occurred. I am happy to say there is a high level of inspections in my own Health Service Executive area, as I was told this at a briefing session with Members. Will the Minister of State indicate that nationally there is a high level of unannounced and constant inspections? I am disappointed reference was not made to that issue so it is important the Minister of State should respond specifically on it.

In the context of nursing homes, I noted the Minister of State made reference to the fair deal plan. I endorse her comments but it is disturbing that as a result of the difficulties in bringing forward the legislation, there is now a limbo meaning a number of people are neither in one place nor another. This causes immense hardship in particular cases. In my clinic work at local level I have come across a number of affected cases.

The cost of electricity is to rise by 30% and fuel has risen over 60% in recent years. The fuel allowance must be increased as it is not sufficient for it to cover only half the year. The cost of living for a person living alone is 80% of the cost for a couple, simply because the person living alone requires the same amount of fuel and electricity. We must increase the living alone allowance along with amount and term of the fuel allowance. I hope to get a positive response in that regard.

There has not been enough use of the home help scheme and the home care assistance scheme. There is much isolation in rural Ireland and a visiting dimension should be added. The home help scheme is very cost-effective, as it is cheap in providing money to people doing the home help. Those people recycle the money into the economy so the net cost is quite low. Many older and isolated people could do with a visiting service from neighbours in a home help capacity. This is quite apart from help in lifting people or making cups of tea, although that is also required. People need people to visit and have a chat.

Ireland has become depersonalised and the local rural postman, for example, is not the same. As a result the health service should be expanded. I commend to the Minister of State the practical suggestion that a voluntary organisation which could show evidence its members were visiting older people as part of its remit would get a special supporting grant. There should be a positive response to a voluntary organisation that could indicate it organises a certain amount of visits to older people in the year and show evidence of it. Programmes of home help, which may include visiting, must be expanded.

We need responses on issues such as the fuel allowance and the living alone allowance and we need an expansion of the home help service. We need commitment to the parts of the voluntary sector which show evidence of working with the old. I welcome the Minister of State and look forward to her response.