Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise to the Minister of State because I did not realise this matter would be taken so soon after I raised another issue with her last Thursday. On this occasion, I am seeking clarification with regard to changes that are being made in the area of elderly care. I have raised this subject with the Minister of State previously. It is back on the table now. I am proposing the establishment of a task force that would involve all the parties involved in this sector in a consultation process. It would not be a statutory committee or anything else. I should declare an interest by mentioning that Nursing Homes Ireland, which has raised this issue with me, was the body that nominated me to run for the Seanad on the industrial and commercial panel. While the members of the association are very appreciative of the fact the Minister of State has met them regularly, they feel there is a gap in this regard. This issue has been raised with me by a number of other organisations as well. The association has suggested that a task force could be established to meet, perhaps every six months at the initial stage, and go through the issue of the long-term planning of elderly care. I am not talking about elderly care in nursing homes. I am talking about home care packages and all the support services that will be needed by a growing number of people as time goes by. We need to work in conjunction with all the other players in this area to develop the services that give people support. That is why I requested this Adjournment debate.