Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The first time I raised the subject of this Adjournment debate - the decision of the Government and the HSE to withdraw home help services - in the Seanad was approximately six weeks ago, when it first reared its ugly head in County Donegal. This evening, I am calling on the Minister for Health and Children to reverse her decision to reduce by 2,246 the number of home help hours being given to the elderly people of County Donegal. Since I became aware of this issue and started to ask questions about it and raise it in the Seanad, I have received numerous replies from the Minister, Deputy Harney, and from HSE officials. I have been given many figures and statistics setting out the various numbers of hours that are apparently being provided. I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, to put such information to one side this evening. I am not as interested in computer data and statistics printed on paper as I am in the elderly people of County Donegal - Mary, Johnny and Paddy. I am concerned about people like the 97 year old woman whose home help services have been completely withdrawn, or the wheelchair-bound father whose services have been reduced to just 15 minutes a day. The people to whom I refer dug deep when this country needed people to dig deep. They went to hiring fairs before they were teenagers and were hired off to other families. When they went to Scotland to work as tattie hokers, they sent money back to their families and communities at home. Many of them lived through very difficult times, including the First and Second World Wars. When their country needed them, they stretched out their hands. They want their country to respond to the serious needs they have today.

As I said earlier, Fianna Fáil is shaping a new type of Ireland. When I say it is an Ireland of which I can no longer be proud, I accept that I am making a strong statement. This issue involves more than statistics, numbers of hours and other forms of data - it goes to the core of what we are all about. It is shameful for any Government to treat the elderly as they are being treated at present. At a national level, the Government is withdrawing almost 27,000 hours of critical home help support on the basis of computer data, rather than on the basis of need. It is completely wrong and utterly unjust. In my view, it is one of the worst crimes the Government has committed in recent years. I appeal to the Minister of State to encourage his colleagues to do the right thing at this late stage. A great deal of damage has been done to elderly people and a great deal of hurt has been caused to their family members.

The terms of employment of home care workers have been changed. Some of them are now working just three hours a week, which makes absolutely no sense. I noticed today that the Government has sent 1.3 million postcards, at what must have been a phenomenal cost, to homes across the country to tell people about guarantees that mean nothing. The House debated the matter earlier. In some cases, the postcards have been sent to people in County Donegal whose loved ones are having to cope with reductions in front-line services like home help hours. The Government does not have the cop-on to understand it is more important to give people an additional 15 minutes of home help support - to help them get out of bed, onto a commode and back into bed, for example - than it is to send postcards around the country. It needs to get its act together.

The issue I have raised is at the root of the problem of where this country is going. What type of country is this Government shaping? While I accept that we have to make decisions if we are to get the country back on track, we should not attack people who need the State to provide help so they can get out of bed, get onto a commode, get washed and get back into bed. The Minister of State knows it is wrong to cut services of this nature. I am sure the Taoiseach knows it as well, so why is it continuing to happen?

IMPACT and SIPTU have organised a protest for 2 p.m. this Saturday. I hope thousands of people will take to the streets to speak with one voice of their anger and disgust at what the Government is doing. I appeal to the Minister of State to give the people of Donegal the answer they are looking for. The Government should promise to review this matter and ensure that any cuts deemed necessary are made on the basis of the needs of patients and elderly people, rather than on the basis of the impression that County Donegal has a higher need than the HSE has budgeted for. I remind the House that it is proposed to reduce by 2,246 the number of home help hours being provided in the county. I do not know how much that will save, but it is not worth taking the dignity of our elderly people, which can never be paid back. I appeal to the Minister of State to give us the right answer tonight.