Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

The Cathaoirleach and colleagues on both sides will remember the legislation on the refund of nursing home charges that went through the House. I did not disagree with it and I knew it was long overdue. However, an issue remains to be addressed with regard to those who could not get a bed in a public facility and had to go to a private facility. Throughout the country, many people who took early retirement used their gratuity and others used their savings to fund their relatives' stay in a privately owned nursing home because they could not get a public bed. As the Government spokesperson for health and children at the time I was contacted by a number of people throughout the country and I strongly agreed with their position. What happened was not just. The legislation as it stands does not address their problem. The only people who were refunded were those in public nursing homes or long-stay institutions, including psychiatric hospitals. This anomaly needs to be corrected. I know it will cost money and that we are in bad times but there is a right thing to do and in this case the right thing was not done.

Quite a number of people, including members of my party, have contacted me with regard to the far from satisfactory situation obtaining to people defending themselves and their homes. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the House to discuss this matter? The law strongly favours the offender as against the offended and this is intolerable. I do not state that people should come out with all guns blazing but there is a weakness in the law covering people protecting themselves, their families and homes from intruders. It is far from satisfactory.