Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and commend my colleagues for their stories and the humanity they have brought to this debate. This is about citizens, family members, neighbours and people. I commend the Minister of State for her work in bringing this Bill through today. I commend the former Minister of State, Jim Daly, for his term in the Oireachtas in the position that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, now holds. This is about a fair deal, care and fair treatment of all citizens. I am sorry that Senator Mullen is not here. In advance of the debate, I was reading a submission made by European bishops to the European Union about care of the elderly. It was interesting that they asked for intergenerational solidarity in the green paper on ageing. Some 20% of people in the European Union are over the age of 65. By 2070, over 30% will be over 65. That means that the €1.74 billion being spent by the State will increase. All of us who have elderly relatives understand the need for them to be looked after in the comfort of their own home or in an environment that they are familiar with.

To be fair, I know the Minister of State had a great interest in this long before she became a Minister of State. The issue of care of the elderly, the provision of home care packages and of home help need to be examined on a fundamental level. We need to have an honest debate about the care of our elderly citizens. We must ensure that we always do the right thing. I am not afraid to have a conversation. We should have a conversation about how we can look after people better.

Senator Garvey referred to a retirement village in Clare. We have one in Cork city, in Lapp's Court and Hartlands Avenue. I would love for the Minister of State to go to see it. It is a small, predominantly Church of Ireland community. Elderly people live in little one-bedroom or two-bedroom bungalows with a kitchenette and a sitting room. It is a wonderful place to visit. Senator Mullen was talking about television advertisements. There is an advertisement on television about downsizing and encouraging older people to change from three or four-bedroom houses to different types of accommodation. That is all welcome but it has a profound impact that we need to debate. I hope that we can do that.

My fundamental concern is the delivery of care in community, nursing home and hospital settings. I go back to the remarks of the bishops about intergenerational solidarity. We should look at and discuss it. This is about ensuring that we are fair to businesspeople and the farming community, which we are. I welcome the Bill and the debate. It is also about putting in place a compendium of supports for wider care that can ensure that we provide real, meaningful care to those of our society who are elderly and need care and support. It is one thing to be able to have €1.74 billion on a balance sheet but quality and continuation of that care are issues. All of our offices are dealing with families who are looking for a variety of home care appliances, home help packages and so on. You name it. I hope that through the prism of this debate and the work that we all do, we can help to inform and shape policy for the future that puts the person at the centre. To be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, she always does that. I mean that genuinely. I have seen her work in opposition and today in government. The former Ministers of State, Jim Daly and Catherine Byrne, also did so. I thank the Minister of State for bringing this Bill through the House.