Basic facilities for elderly households
Leonard urged joint work by local authorities and the task force to provide essentials such as water and sewerage. The Minister said much basic work had been completed and funding had risen by 50%; Fahey cited elderly people still living in squalor and sought an Adjournment debate. The Chair then moved to priority questions.
This is an excellent scheme but the Minister should examine how it could be tied in with the task force to provide basic facilities which are so necessary for many old people, but no available. With the task force helping the local authorities to implement the house improvement scheme very good work could be done and old people could have their houses improved more quickly.
Comment on this
The problem is being exaggerated. The scheme has been operating for four years and a lot of the more basic work has been done.
Comment on this
The national allocation this year has been increased from £1 million to £1½ million and it is hoped that that 50 per cent increase, together with the amount of basic work that has been done in many parts of the country — there may be particular problems in certain areas because the costs of similar work being carried out by different health boards varies extraordinarily from one part of the country to the other — will improve the position. If greater care was taken about the cost, more work would be done.
