Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, go dtí an Seanad. Go pearsanta, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis as ucht an Roinn úr atá faighte aige. Cé go raibh go leor deacrachtaí agam le scéimeanna agus ciorraithe éagsúla, measaim gur cailliúnt mór í don Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta nach mbeidh an Aire ann a thuilleadh. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil a chroí sa Ghaeilge agus sa Ghaeltacht. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an Aire úr, an Teachta Pat Carey, chomh bríomhar is a bhí an Aire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, sa phost sin. Gabhaim comhghairdeas pearsanta leis.

I wish to raise the matter of home help supports provided by the State to people who need them, in particular the elderly but not necessarily all of them. I have raised this issue on many occasions in this House. From early last year I was notified of a series of cuts to the hours of support being provided by the HSE to patients in Donegal. The HSE intended to cut the level of support to 52,000 hours per month, a reduction in the region of 2,246 hours per month. An energetic campaign was waged at the time with public meetings and a large demonstration of almost 1,000 home care support workers, patients and relatives. There was interaction between the HSE unions and delegations. I led a delegation and an agreement was reached at the end of the process that there would be no further cuts for 2009. It was agreed that 52,500 hours per month would be provided for the rest of 2009. I have been informed in a reply to a parliamentary question that the level of service to be provided in 2010 is a further reduction. The HSE is proposing to take away 6,500 hours compared with the end of last year, a total of 78,000 hours to be taken away from patients in County Donegal who require home care support. I understand from previous replies that the Minister will say that Donegal has a high level of home care support hours, the third highest in the State. However, there is a higher age profile in Donegal and the Minister is no stranger to that part of the country. The service should follow the need and demand.

I have outlined to the House on many occasions the importance of providing a service to those people. It makes the difference between getting out of bed or being confined to bed all day. It makes the difference between going hungry or having a hot meal provided. I know of many hardship cases where people have been affected by the cuts which went very deeply. The most recent cut was in excess of 1,700 hours per month and now it is proposed to cut 6,500 hours per month. I fear what this will mean to many of our elderly who need this support.

I ask the Government to look at its priorities as it has got them wrong. Nobody in Government intentionally sets out to hurt people but these decisions are the wrong decisions. These people need the support and the help. This decision should be reversed before we have to rely on people to come out onto the streets and lead a campaign to get the HSE to reverse the decision last year. It was reversed to a certain degree at the end of the year. I hope the Minister has some good news for me and, more importantly, for the individuals who rely on this service.