Phil Prendergast (Labour)

I extend a warm welcome to the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor. Elder abuse is an issue that gets far too little public support and attention. The only time we hear about elder abuse is in horrific media reports about robberies, rape and murder. Such events hit the headlines for a few days and then become the chip wrapper tomorrow. These are primarily policing issues although health and social services have a role which at times they have failed to adequately deliver. One only needs to hear the words, "rape" and "murder" associated with the elderly for an emotional response to be elicited. We recognise the vulnerability of the elderly and regard the immorality of such attacks to be repugnant. The head in the sand attitude to the wider issues of elder abuse is understandable to some degree because the subject rarely even makes it to the chip-wrapper stage.

The HSE conference on elder abuse to be held in June is therefore welcome and I am looking forward to listening to a range of speakers. It is worth considering the definition the HSE uses to define elder abuse. It makes the point that abuse can be a "single or repeated act". This points out that the single acts I referred to earlier are not the only types of abuse. We must also remember acts such as fraud or deception. Repeated acts are more likely to occur in an institutional setting and that includes families. The HSE definition then refers to a "lack of appropriate action", in a word, neglect. This can be familial or professional and we must never forget it can also be governmental. The definition goes on to describe acts which occur "within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust". This applies to commerce as well as to the more obvious civil, social and familial relationships. It concludes by saying that abuse is an act causing "harm or distress or violates human and civil rights". Harm and distress translates into physical as well as emotional and psychological abuse. This is an excellent definition which points out the variety of ways the elderly can be abused or are being abused.

It is worth going through that definition in detail because one of the challenges for society is to recognise the scope and variety of abuse. The Minister of State in her contribution cited the range of elder abuse. In the area of commerce, for instance, while everyone can be targeted by bogus charity collectors and sales people, the elderly are particularly vulnerable. They are targets for both overt confidence tricks and all too frequently, more covert targeting by supposedly reputable institutions. By this I mean somebody purporting to be from Bord Gáis, the ESB or Eircom who asks to come into the house. They often have an authentic-looking uniform or bogus ID card and they gain access to people's homes and violate their trust and rob them. Particular care must be taken with regard to Internet scams. The concept of elderly people using a computer is no longer as unusual as in the past. Many older people are participating in computer courses in supported environments or in their own homes. They are using the Internet for shopping and to go on eBay. I note the current advertisement which is very amusing, showing a woman running home across the fields because she wants to bid on eBay for a foot spa. I recently received an e-mail purporting to be from a well known bank. I was alerted by a little flash in the corner of the screen which means that the e-mail had come from another source rather than from the bank. We all know that a bank would never ask for one's ID or password but it is very important to reinforce this message to older people. Such messages may look authentic and the wording is well done. Such messages may say , "It has come to our notice that people are being targeted and your system may have been violated. We now ask you to re-enter your password." People can be taken in by what seems to be an authentic message. We need to be very aware of such scams because many elderly people use computers.

We know public services can be inadequate especially in the medical setting resulting sometimes in overt abuse such as happened in Leas Cross and more recently in St. Luke's. I made a fairly comprehensive statement on St. Luke's on the Order of Business yesterday. I indicated that I had a particular interest and that my husband works in that hospital. However, their hands are up with regard to the deficiencies within the system and that the HSE should never have made the excuse of the changeover from the health board setting to the HSE setting to discontinue implementing what would be good and best practice. To sit on reports for four or five years is absolutely appalling and is not good practice. We should not be proud of such a model.

There should be an increase in home support with monitoring of the client in the community. There is much reliance on the meals on wheels service. I refer to a press release dated last November from the National Council on Ageing and Older People. It reveals that 89% of staff who work in organisations providing meals on wheels do so in a voluntary capacity. They provide a significant service for older people which allows them to stay at home when they might otherwise need institutional care. The study on the meals on wheels service notes that it is often the first service offered to older people who are becoming more dependent but who are still capable of continuing to live in their own homes. It underlines the importance of meals on wheels as a source of nutrition for older people and as a means of enabling the early detection of medical problems that will require further interventions.

Two years ago during the general election campaign in May and June I called to houses where people were cold. They told me the fuel allowance was not sufficient because it stops too early in the year. I acknowledge the amount was increased subsequently in a budget but I am still not happy with it. We do not have the kind of weather where one can say with certainty that by a certain date in the year it will be warm and there will be no need to light a fire every night.

The Minister of State launched the report on the role and future development of the meals on wheels service for older people. It concluded that the research found that 89% of those working within the service were volunteers and the Minister of State acknowledged their contribution. That is laudable and is to be commended.

Senator Fitzgerald raised the issue of the suspension of the scheme for community support for older people. This is a retrograde step. The scheme of community support for older people was initially introduced in 1996 to contribute to the social supports available for vulnerable older people. The emphasis of the scheme had been on providing funds for local community and voluntary organisations to install personal monitored alarms and items of home security, such as door and window locks, to enable the older person to live independently. Grants are not made to individuals under this scheme. Instead, eligible older people are identified through local community groups and an application is made on their behalf. The Carers Association in Clonmel was playing that role which was replicated throughout the country. There was a significant take-up and the number of older people who benefited in 2007 was 10,764, in 2008 it was 11,762 and so far this year it is 1,866. It offers substantial security of tenure for these people. Yesterday, the Minister stated that given the urgent action needed to restore stability to the public finances and the requirement to prioritise funding to restore economic activity and employment, he regretted that he had to make some tough decisions. The Minister of State, Deputy Curran, announced the suspension of the scheme with immediate effect but indicated that he hoped to be in a position to provide support for all applications on hand.

It was not costing much money to provide this scheme and the savings could have been found elsewhere within the system. When the Health Service Executive was established to replace the original eight health boards there was a substantial increase in the number of staff. However, it did not result in an increased or better service. Instead it created layers of bureaucracy and red tape and created a good many jobs for people. Nurses were promoted to jobs which involved carrying clipboards and ticking boxes. The person who receives a front-line service appreciates it. I am not saying people within the HSE do not have a role, because they do. However, if one were to prioritise who should go, whether the person providing the service on the front line or someone ticking boxes elsewhere because of a number of statutory obligations made by us, I question the way forward. I do not believe this is the way and although I may not be here for the Minister of State's concluding remarks I will listen to them.