Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for attending. When the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, was in the Chamber, I touched on one topic in my contribution and I thought it would be important to bring it up with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. My colleague, Senator Carrigy, spoke extremely well about his experience of nursing homes and caring for people. It has been an extraordinarily difficult time in many sectors of society and for many groups but it is very important to highlight the situation of individuals in nursing homes in the past couple of months. Since we went into the level 5 restrictions, they have not been able to have any visitors. The Government will make announcements tomorrow and there will be a lot of talk of hotels and pubs, and I am as guilty as anyone else in focusing on those, but behind it all, one of the most serious issues is people who are very lonely in an environment where they are well looked after by people who do fantastic work and where they enjoy being most of the time but who miss their families. It is vitally important at Christmas time that they get a visit from either a close family member or, if they do not have one, a neighbour or a guardian who is very close to them. It is something we need to consider that will make a very big difference because people in that situation have had a very difficult time. They are very lonely. They know they are in a vulnerable position. They know of nursing homes that have had outbreaks. They know it can happen to them at any time and they have not been able to confide in their family, friends or community. I urge the Minister of State to use his influence, if he can, to make it possible in some way for families to meet, even if it is one or two family members, in a nursing home during the Christmas period. We have a next door neighbour who has been in a nursing home for a long number of months and he has not been able to meet his brother. They are both in their late 80s and they are lost without each other's company. Everyone will focus on the economy, and rightly so, but there is also a human aspect to this.

I thank the Minister of State for his presence and the Acting Chairman for the time.