I am glad the Deputy accepts that.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “notes that: — the population aged 65 and over has increased by 35 per cent since 2009, with the result that there have been increasing levels of demand for health and social care services; — arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, which broke out in March 2020, routine scheduled acute hospital care had been severely curtailed during the periods when surges occurred, and capacity reduced generally for reasons of social distan…

Hear, hear.

The Government is very serious about mental health issues. We have had a lot of engagement and we have the largest budget in the history of the State. As the Deputy knows, a consultant psychologist was appointed to Arden House three weeks ago. It was difficult in relation to-----

-----recruitment and retention but that post has been filled. On the crisis resolution team I announced this week covering the areas of Waterford, south Kilkenny and Dungarvan, every community healthcare organisation CHO, and every area were able to put forward an application. The application was won for the Waterford area on its own merit because of the challenges it has in relation to bed capacity and the fact there was no other-----

-----out-of-hours support there. We already have one crisis resolution team in Cork, another in Dublin and this will be the third. More pilot sites will be rolled out over the next year.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Significant Government funding in 2021 means that the mental health budget is now in excess of €1.1 billion. The HSE is providing approximately €139 million this year for mental health services in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 4, which includes east Cork. I appreciate that this topic has been raised by the Deputy in the context of the closure of the Owenacurra centre, and I acknowledge that we have discussed this matter on many occasions, even as late a…

I thank the Deputy. Improving all aspects of mental health service delivery is a priority for me, the Government as a whole and the HSE, in line with the executive's national service plan 2021. This includes continued collaboration between relevant agencies and service users to ensure that quality and standards in our mental health facilities are further improved in line with best practice and recommendations. With regard to Owenacurra, the most important issue is the safety and welfare of the current residents fir…

I am taking this Topical Issue matter for the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I thank all three Deputies for raising the issue of the impending closure of a general practice in Templemore following the recent retirement of Dr. Joe Hennessy. The Government is committed to ensuring that patients throughout the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas in the future. It is imperative that general practice remains an attractive career option for newly-qualif…

I reiterate the Government's commitment to ensuring that patients throughout the country continue to have access to quality GP services. That is what all the Deputies have reiterated tonight. The important role that GPs play in the delivery of our health service and the commitment to providing a responsive and high-quality service to patients is acknowledged. The workload in many GP practices remains quite heavy and the last few years have been particularly challenging. I also recognise that GPs working in rural an…

I think anybody familiar with my work on older people over the past five years, when I was the main Opposition spokesperson for older people, will recognise that I constantly raised issues relating to safeguarding, premature entry into nursing homes, capacity issues and challenges and the fact that, for example, 70% of people in nursing homes have dementia. Everybody will recognise that I have a history in that respect. I acknowledge concerns about safeguarding in nursing homes and the potential vulnerability of nu…

I thank the Senator for her interaction and positive approach. I know exactly the point she is trying to make. A key principle of safeguarding is that it is everybody's business and all healthcare professionals have key roles in the prevention and reporting of abuse. However, the essential role of social workers in safeguarding is recognised. The specialised safeguarding and protection teams in each of the nine community healthcare organisation areas are managed and led by principal social workers and staffed by so…

I thank the Senator for proposing the amendment and I understand her concerns about individuals and particularly those who enter care before the age of 65. The Government has committed to addressing the matter and there is a clear Government commitment to provide a pathway to eliminate the practice of accommodating younger people with serious disabilities in nursing homes. I met my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to discuss this matter on a couple of occasions since the publication of the report …

The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is doing much work to try to get this pilot scheme up and running and move the administration from each CHO. We must start somewhere. It takes time, but she can certainly build on it. It is important to record that the original Act from 2009 refers to maintenance expenses. Provision in that regard is made for maintenance expenses in respect of a child under 21 years of age, which is interpreted as including education expenses. If a parent is in a nursing home, then that situa…

We need to bring this conversation back into context a little. I understand where the Senator is coming from. There is absolutely no impediment in legislation or practice to prevent a person who is receiving care under the nursing home support scheme from leaving nursing home care and returning home or to a different setting. The nursing home support scheme was put in place in 2009 to ensure there would be no financial barrier to anyone who needed long-term care. I will give an indication of how seriously the Gover…

The point I continue to make is that there is no impediment in legislation or in practice to prevent a person who is receiving care under the fair deal scheme from leaving a nursing home. Recently, I worked on the case of a man leaving an acute hospital whose house was being reconfigured to support him with a downstairs bathroom and bedroom. He entered a nursing home for eight weeks and was then able to go home, which was great. This does not happen very often. I do know that. I have dealt with many people who went…

I agree with my colleague, Senator Byrne. Senator Higgins is conflating a successor and an inheritance. The mechanisms created under the Bill for the appointment of a family successor are strictly in place for the purpose of calculating a person's contribution to long-term care. They have no other role. That is their only role. The successor may not inherit the farm. The successor can be the wife or the husband but that is not to say that the son, daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law or whoever will not inherit th…

Legislation does not belong only to the Government. That is why I worked constructively on Committee Stage in the Dáil with some Deputies who were not members of the Government and who had brought forward amendments. I took on board three amendments. The first of those proposed that when the Bill is signed into law, it will be enacted within 90 days. The second amendment proposed that when a person who might be going into a nursing home would have to go for an interview with the HSE, he or she would be allowed to b…

When considering how couples are treated under this Bill, fairness has always been the guiding principle. This is particularly relevant when considering the appointment of a family successor in respect of both members of a couple regarding the same productive asset in cases where both members of the couple are living and in cases where one member of the couple is deceased. I will address the issue of couples. When the Bill went through Committee Stage in the Dáil, I flagged my intention to bring forward a number of…

I acknowledge the help and support the Cathaoirleach gave me over the past two weeks to ensure the Bill, which only passed Report Stage in the Dáil on Wednesday, would be taken in the Seanad on Second Stage yesterday and on Committee and Remaining Stages today. I thank all the Senators for their contributions to the debate and for their time, yesterday and today. Many of them have waited until the end of the debate even though it is the final sitting day before recess. I watched all my colleagues go home yesterday …