ELDERLY
Each speech listed here is an edited speech. If you'd like to see the speech or debate in full, please go to the Oireachtas website and click on "Seanad Eireann" and then "Seanad Debates" and click on the relevant date as listed with each speech on this page.
ComReg Ban on Local Radio Religious Broadcasts(09/05/06)
Care of the Elderly (14/12/05)
ComReg Ban on Local Radio Religious Broadcasts
09/05/06 - Over the past few days, the might and mass of the State has been brought to bear on the housebound who cannot attend mass or services. They are generally aged people who receive a local radio broadcast of mass and religious service from their churches. They are, however, being treated as villains and those providing the service are being criminalised. ComReg has ordered the broadcast services to be stopped as they are interfering with air traffic control. This kind of action gives politics a bad name.
Although ComReg has an important function to ensure the airwaves are protected, it must also be recognised that the airwaves are the people’s property. In every regulation governing the airwaves, free access for ordinary people has always been provided through citizens’ band, short-wave radio or various forms of VHF channels. It would be better for ComReg to approach this issue in a positive way to support local communities which wish to provide these broadcast services. I am not making a case for the Roman Catholic Church. Normally, I would be having a go at it but this is an important social service for housebound people who find themselves isolated and lonely.
I have discussed the matter with ComReg over recent days. It has assured me that it will introduce regulations and guidelines to enable these broadcast services to continue. I accept that any interference with air traffic control must be stopped. The reality, however, is that these services do not interfere with aviation frequencies, as their transmitters are not powerful enough to do so. A quick resolution must be reached. When the legislation on broadcasting transmission was passed, it was with the idea that certain aspects of the broadcasting spectrum would always be available to people on a community level, such as citizens’ band broadcasting, various VHF channels or licensing of local community broadcasting. If local churches have to be empowered in that manner, then so be it. I recognise the difficult job ComReg must do. What ComReg has done is unacceptable and it should now ensure local communities are enabled.
Back to top of page
Care of the Elderly
14/12/05 -It is important that we determine how we can make things work well and how we bring the situation forward. I wish to focus on a number of points, the first of which is the independent inspectorate. The reality is that someone will ask if the inspectorate was a mistake, if it was a waste of money.
I have a suggestion, though I know there is not a snowball’s chance in hell that it will be taken up — that is always the problem with sensible suggestions. Setting up a nursing home inspectorate is a very good idea but there are other areas that also need to be inspected. This inspectorate will be set up on an ad hoc basis and will only examine a certain area. We most certainly need an inspectorate but it should not be on an ad hoc basis, dealing only with the elderly. To create synergies I ask the Minister of State to inspect the various institutions in which citizens of this State of any age are being looked after. This will avoid setting up something and regretting it two years later as we argue about whether to extend its area of responsibility.
I welcome the constant theme of flexibility in the Minister of State’s proposals. He is correct about the number of people who would prefer to stay at home and the number of extended families and communities who favour that option. I would like to have heard what the Minister of State means by flexibility, not to hold him down to it because these proposals must go through a process. If an extended family has three elderly relatives being looked after in three different houses and all three decide to move into one of the elderly persons’ homes, it becomes easier for the extended family and economies of scale make it easier for everyone. As things stand two people in such a situation cannot get the same level of support, though I am open to correction on that. Extended families often have more than one person to deal with.
How will this work? Will the Minister of State recognise that we cannot do these things without a sense of care in the community? I am worried by the greed in Irish society at the moment. The more we can do for families who want to look after their elderly relatives themselves, with a little support from the State, the better.
I would like to see the formula showing how we can save money. I can see the figures the Minister of State has provided but what does it cost, per person, in a nursing home for a year and what is the subvention level available for each? What does it take to give such people a Rolls Royce level of support at home, involving somebody staying with them at night or visiting them for a few hours during the week? The State might have difficulty organising an hour here and an hour there. The home care service works very well but extended families can sometimes do it equally well. I have seen it happen in my own community.
The flexibility proposed by the Minister of State could give a better quality of service and also save money — it is a win win situation. We need to increase funding levels. The money will make a difference but we need to see it working and how flexibility will be built into it, because that is the most difficult task. Every home, community and family are different. Some live close to each other but others live far away. A family member may be based in Dublin but a relative might live 150 miles away and it is costly to visit them every weekend. If somebody put that to the Minister of State would he take it on board?
Back to top of page
Seanad debates are available in full on the Oireachtas Website
Each speech listed here is an edited speech. If you'd like to see the speech or debate in full, please go to the Oireachtas website and click on "Seanad Eireann" and then "Seanad Debates" and click on the relevant date as listed with each speech on this page.
ComReg Ban on Local Radio Religious Broadcasts(09/05/06)
Care of the Elderly (14/12/05)
ComReg Ban on Local Radio Religious Broadcasts
09/05/06 - Over the past few days, the might and mass of the State has been brought to bear on the housebound who cannot attend mass or services. They are generally aged people who receive a local radio broadcast of mass and religious service from their churches. They are, however, being treated as villains and those providing the service are being criminalised. ComReg has ordered the broadcast services to be stopped as they are interfering with air traffic control. This kind of action gives politics a bad name.
Although ComReg has an important function to ensure the airwaves are protected, it must also be recognised that the airwaves are the people’s property. In every regulation governing the airwaves, free access for ordinary people has always been provided through citizens’ band, short-wave radio or various forms of VHF channels. It would be better for ComReg to approach this issue in a positive way to support local communities which wish to provide these broadcast services. I am not making a case for the Roman Catholic Church. Normally, I would be having a go at it but this is an important social service for housebound people who find themselves isolated and lonely.
I have discussed the matter with ComReg over recent days. It has assured me that it will introduce regulations and guidelines to enable these broadcast services to continue. I accept that any interference with air traffic control must be stopped. The reality, however, is that these services do not interfere with aviation frequencies, as their transmitters are not powerful enough to do so. A quick resolution must be reached. When the legislation on broadcasting transmission was passed, it was with the idea that certain aspects of the broadcasting spectrum would always be available to people on a community level, such as citizens’ band broadcasting, various VHF channels or licensing of local community broadcasting. If local churches have to be empowered in that manner, then so be it. I recognise the difficult job ComReg must do. What ComReg has done is unacceptable and it should now ensure local communities are enabled.
Back to top of page
Care of the Elderly
14/12/05 -It is important that we determine how we can make things work well and how we bring the situation forward. I wish to focus on a number of points, the first of which is the independent inspectorate. The reality is that someone will ask if the inspectorate was a mistake, if it was a waste of money.
I have a suggestion, though I know there is not a snowball’s chance in hell that it will be taken up — that is always the problem with sensible suggestions. Setting up a nursing home inspectorate is a very good idea but there are other areas that also need to be inspected. This inspectorate will be set up on an ad hoc basis and will only examine a certain area. We most certainly need an inspectorate but it should not be on an ad hoc basis, dealing only with the elderly. To create synergies I ask the Minister of State to inspect the various institutions in which citizens of this State of any age are being looked after. This will avoid setting up something and regretting it two years later as we argue about whether to extend its area of responsibility.
I welcome the constant theme of flexibility in the Minister of State’s proposals. He is correct about the number of people who would prefer to stay at home and the number of extended families and communities who favour that option. I would like to have heard what the Minister of State means by flexibility, not to hold him down to it because these proposals must go through a process. If an extended family has three elderly relatives being looked after in three different houses and all three decide to move into one of the elderly persons’ homes, it becomes easier for the extended family and economies of scale make it easier for everyone. As things stand two people in such a situation cannot get the same level of support, though I am open to correction on that. Extended families often have more than one person to deal with.
How will this work? Will the Minister of State recognise that we cannot do these things without a sense of care in the community? I am worried by the greed in Irish society at the moment. The more we can do for families who want to look after their elderly relatives themselves, with a little support from the State, the better.
I would like to see the formula showing how we can save money. I can see the figures the Minister of State has provided but what does it cost, per person, in a nursing home for a year and what is the subvention level available for each? What does it take to give such people a Rolls Royce level of support at home, involving somebody staying with them at night or visiting them for a few hours during the week? The State might have difficulty organising an hour here and an hour there. The home care service works very well but extended families can sometimes do it equally well. I have seen it happen in my own community.
The flexibility proposed by the Minister of State could give a better quality of service and also save money — it is a win win situation. We need to increase funding levels. The money will make a difference but we need to see it working and how flexibility will be built into it, because that is the most difficult task. Every home, community and family are different. Some live close to each other but others live far away. A family member may be based in Dublin but a relative might live 150 miles away and it is costly to visit them every weekend. If somebody put that to the Minister of State would he take it on board?
Back to top of page
Seanad debates are available in full on the Oireachtas Website