Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the outset I wish all colleagues, the public service personnel here and all the staff of our House a very nice holiday, hopefully in Ireland. We have to show leadership in that area so I wish everybody well in that respect. I want to unpatronisingly and genuinely salute the integrity and courage of Senator McGreehan - I hope I am pronouncing her name correctly - for the testimony she gave to the House today. That kind of courage merits a positive response from the Leader.

I turn now to a theme I raised previously and which I will turn to as often as I can on every possible occasion during this term. Covid-19 was mentioned earlier but if it has taught us anything it is that for once we should treasure our carers and home care, and provide the opportunity for people to be cared for in their own homes. I ask the Leader to make the statutory home-care package scheme a legislative priority very early in the autumn session to ensure we have the equivalent of the fair deal scheme for people to be cared for in their homes. I ask the Leader to specifically seek to have that legislation brought to the House.

Our carers should get very attractive packages. There should be increased moneys for that in the budget. The job should be made attractive and given an enhanced status. If we do that a number of people will opt to care. Unfortunately, the current socioeconomic reality is that a number of people will be dislocated job-wise and caring should be made an attractive option, as well as retirement villages and supporting people to build granny flats etc. The immediate response to Covid-19, however, should be the provision of care in the home.