Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not agree. I do not question the Senator's genuine motivation for highlighting the issues.

I dealt with a person in my constituency clinic recently who is in receipt of a reasonably good public service pension, as is his wife. His wife is currently in full-time care and he has been left with €250 per week to live on, compared to significantly more than that previously. He would prefer to see 10% or 15% of his property value taken into consideration and have money now to have a relatively decent lifestyle, while ensuring his wife is properly looked after, as she is. Unfortunately, he is suffering because the percentage is not high enough.

There have been issues with elderly care over the years and cutbacks are not appropriate. We would prefer not to have to implement them. We have to try to do our best with the meagre resources we have until such time as buoyancy returns to the economy.