Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on older persons. This is a key issue for the Government because it is important that we start planning for aging in Ireland and ensure that we make it a positive experience. There is none of us here who will not experience the aging process and it is important that with advance knowledge of the extent to which our population will age, we put in place proper policies and do the necessary planning to support that.

In 2002, the proportion of Ireland's population aged 65 years and over was 11.1% but, according to population projections prepared for the National Council on Aging and Older People, this proportion will rise to between 14.8% and 15.3% by 2021. The number of Irish people aged 80 and over is projected to increase steeply, from 100,583 in 2002 to 137,305 in 2021.

I was in discussions with the Age Action Ireland group before this debate to get their views on what they felt were the priorities in terms of the delivery of services for older persons. They emphasised the area of community care and the fact that, from their point of view, the Government has every reason to support and develop community care services for older people. They pointed out that for every €1 spent on community care, €2 is spent on residential care, and also that many older persons who have been surveyed want to remain and be cared for at home. Unfortunately, access to community care at present is a little like a lottery, they argue, depending on what part of the country an older person is living in. In certain parts of the country the services are satisfactory but in other parts they leave much to be desired.

The issue of rising fuel price was also highlighted by Age Action Ireland as an area of major concern. As the House will be aware, ESB and Bord Gáis have made an application to the energy regulator to increase both fuel and oil prices in this country. Age Action Ireland pointed out that it is far more expensive to live alone than to cohabit. Many older persons live on their own and the inability to afford adequate home heating can result in premature mortality among older persons. They also pointed out that Ireland has the highest levels of fuel poverty in northern Europe for the category of lone pensioner households. The Irish National Survey of Housing Quality found that older households are more likely to be characterised by having an open fire, with 25% of older households having no central heating.