Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of Fianna Fáil, I call on the Government to clarify immediately which Minister of State has responsibility for older people. Yesterday the Cabinet signed off on removing the older people brief from the responsibilities of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. In 2011 she was appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for disability, equality, mental health and older people.

However, today, the Minister of State has special responsibility for primary care, mental health and disability.

Last week, the Taoiseach spoke in a very profound manner when he said he wanted Ireland to be the best small country in the world in which to do business, raise a family and grow old with dignity and respect. However, the reality is older people have been hit very unfairly with regressive cuts to social support by this Government and, now, they seem to have slipped off the radar altogether. Over seven years ago, Fianna Fáil recognised the need for older people to be given a specific voice within the political structures of the country when we created the post of Minister of State with special responsibility for older people, working across three Departments - the Departments of Health, Social Protection and the Environment, Community and Local Government - but this role is barely recognisable today.

One of the key organisations looking after older people, Alone, was set up, as many in the Chamber will know, by Willie Bermingham, a Dublin fireman who died 24 years ago. As a fireman, he regularly saw the condition of the residences of older people who could not look after themselves properly, and he set up Alone. Today, Sean Moynihan is a superb CEO of the organisation.

The reality is that everyone, including everyone in this Chamber, is going to grow old, although they all seem to forget about it. Certainly, this Government is forgetting about it. The number of people over the age of 65 is increasing by 20,000 a year. The demographics of the country are shifting considerably and it is essential that the Government immediately clarifies this situation and reinstates its commitment to giving older people a voice in government.

I thank Senator Hayden for raising the issue of housing and for holding her event this morning. There are 4,700 older people on the waiting list for housing, which is very serious.