Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to point out to Senator Conway that I have my own cup. Perhaps we could all bring our own cups in the interim to try to protect the environment.

Sinn Féin has raised several parliamentary questions about home help hours. In the area overseen by Community Healthcare Organisation 7, home help hours have dropped by almost 90,000 hours since 2014.It is a vital service to the elderly, the vulnerable, those on disability and those recently discharged from hospital. Home help allows people to stay in their homes and be part of their communities. The Government's ideology of privatisation, enforced by the HSE, is working well. It places an awful financial burden on people who are in no position to afford it. Home help is pertinent in alleviating pressures on secondary health care. It is short-term thinking to cut these hours which will contribute to hospital overcrowding.

It is also a major factor in the incarceration of those in unsuitable and unacceptable places in nursing homes. For example, Senator Dolan has spoken several times about 1,200 people with disabilities under the age of 65 who are incarcerated in nursing homes. All the other residents are almost twice their age and it can reduce their lifespan by two years. This is indicative of the lack of community care. I hope the Leader can give some time and space to this to discuss it further with the Ministers responsible.