Joe O'Reilly: Calls for statutory home care and better pay for carers
Joe O'Reilly urged urgent reforms to the home care system, calling for carers to be provided regardless of income, improved pay and contracts, and statutory recognition of home care similar to the Fair Deal scheme. He asked the leader to raise the issue with the Minister for Health and to schedule a debate or discussion in the autumn.
He opened by praising a contribution about Cavan's All-Ireland, noting the ongoing celebrations around a 47th win, and offered summer wishes to colleagues and House staff. He paid tribute to Martin Groves and welcomed his replacement Bridget, expressing appreciation for staff who provide support at Lancaster House.
He highlighted a recent increase in the income limit for carers and called that reform significant. He argued the next step is to move to a system where carers are provided irrespective of income and noted that, in his view, that commitment is in the programme for government.
He warned of shortages in local panels of carers when hours are allocated across the country and said the issue reflects pay and contract arrangements. He urged a radical review of salaries and the contractual basis for carers to improve supply and ensure adequate panels in each county.
He proposed putting home care on a statutory footing similar to the Fair Deal scheme so people could be legally assured of home care options. He argued that given the country's demographic structure and wellbeing considerations, home care is both the preferred and the cheapest option from a purely economic perspective.
He asked the leader to take the matter to the Minister for Health and to arrange a debate or discussion in the autumn to develop the panel system, raise income limits further, and consider statutory provision for home care.
Summer remarks and acknowledgements
He opened by praising a contribution about Cavan's All-Ireland, noting the ongoing celebrations around a 47th win, and offered summer wishes to colleagues and House staff. He paid tribute to Martin Groves and welcomed his replacement Bridget, expressing appreciation for staff who provide support at Lancaster House.
Income limits and access to carers
He highlighted a recent increase in the income limit for carers and called that reform significant. He argued the next step is to move to a system where carers are provided irrespective of income and noted that, in his view, that commitment is in the programme for government.
Supply, contracts and pay
He warned of shortages in local panels of carers when hours are allocated across the country and said the issue reflects pay and contract arrangements. He urged a radical review of salaries and the contractual basis for carers to improve supply and ensure adequate panels in each county.
Statutory footing and economic reasoning
He proposed putting home care on a statutory footing similar to the Fair Deal scheme so people could be legally assured of home care options. He argued that given the country's demographic structure and wellbeing considerations, home care is both the preferred and the cheapest option from a purely economic perspective.
Request for autumn discussion with the Minister for Health
He asked the leader to take the matter to the Minister for Health and to arrange a debate or discussion in the autumn to develop the panel system, raise income limits further, and consider statutory provision for home care.
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Transcript
It was a great version of the great John Joe about Cavan and how they won the All-Ireland. Yes, we're unfortunately still dining out on 47th, it was great. I think all the money you're saving on hotels. Yeah, but we will be back shortly, we nearly did it this year, but anyway. At the outset, can I wish all colleagues in the House a wonderful summer, a great recess after a year of multiple elections and huge frenetic levels of activity. Can I wish our wonderful staff of the House here a great summer also, and indeed all of Russia's, all the staff of Lancaster House who do a great job and provide such wonderful support for ours. And indeed, one can't help but remember with fondness today the great Martin Groves, who's now been very, very brilliantly replaced by Bridget, but we do miss Martin, and he was a great man, we hope he's continuing to enjoy a good retirement. I want to make one point. Those of us of a certain vintage remember many great social revolutions over the years and many great changes and advances. But one of the ones that I think among the many that I've seen and that are great is the introduction of carers to the homes of people, older people and people who are sick. And the generation now take that for granted and assume it always was that way. It was not always so. But like everything else, it's not flawless. But a great initiative recently was upping the income limit. It's been up to a couple of hundred, two hundred, the income limit that people can achieve carers at. And that's a huge reform. And I think we have to move, leader, to a situation where carers are provided irrespective of income. And my understanding is that it's in our program for government to so do, and we should work towards that. The second thing we have to look at is the provision of an adequate panel of carers in each county. There's a shortage when the hours have been allocated right across the country. There's a shortage of actual personnel to do it. And that means some reforms of the salary of the contracts, of the basis on which they work. And that needs radical looking at. And I would ask you to consider, or not to consider, to please, leader, take this to the Minister for Health, and possibly if we could have some sort of debate around this, or discussion around this in the autumn, to see, with the Minister for Health, can, A, the panel thing be developed. So I think we need to improve the income. And I think the income limits further. We need to improve the supply. But further, we also should put home care on a statutory footing, like the Fair Deal scheme, so that people can have, are assured under the law and under support that they'll get home care and that they can have the option of looking and cared for at home. And with the demographic structure of our country now, this is all the more pertinent, this whole debate and this whole area. And it's, if you take humanity out of it and take well-being and wellness out of it, from a purely cold economic perspective, in terms of money, it's the logical thing to do. It's the cheapest option, if also the preferred option. Thank you very much, Coyorlach.