Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Obviously, we need to ensure the deal can be brought home. There is no point in celebrating until we see that it can be properly implemented and is agreed to by our neighbours across the water. I will leave it at that for now.

The second item I wish to raise affects a lot of senior citizens. They are receiving scam calls from international numbers. If they answer them, they are charged up to €20. They are also receiving scam calls from Irish numbers. Callers purport to be representatives of Eir or other telecommunications companies and tell them that the Internet is down. They are instructed to plug in and give their bank codes. Many are taken in and scammed out of their hard-earned money. We need to do a lot more from a consumer protection point of view. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment needs to urge the Commission for Communications Regulation to be a little more proactive. One suggestion I have heard is that when someone rings an international or premium number, he or she should be alerted to the fact that he or she is ringing such a number before being connected. We need to send the message that phone scamming is a huge issue and make sure people are vigilant and aware of it. It is very easy to be a victim. Even the wiliest of people are falling victim to it.

The third item I wish to raise concerns home help hours. It is an issue I have raised in the house before. There are 6,200 older people across the country waiting urgently for a home help. In certain parts of the country, including County Kerry, north Cork, Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary, no one is waiting and it is very easy to receive support. However, in Galway, north County Dublin and other parts of the country there are long waiting lists. In Galway alone there are 674 people waiting. This clearly shows that there is a disparity. Where someone is living is a factor in whether he or she will have the home help he or she needs. It has been described as a postcode lottery. Everyone throughout the country should receive the same service, no matter where he or she lives.I do not think it is fair that people who live in a certain area get a better service and more home help hours. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to the House to address this matter, on which I look forward to having a debate.