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Frank O’Rourke – Waiting lists for Homecare Packages Unacceptable

Frank O’Rourke has criticised the Government for failing to properly resource the Home Care Scheme.

Deputy O’Rourke made the comments after obtaining information which shows that 724 people in the CHO 7 Hospital Group, which includes Kildare, West Wicklow and parts of Dublin, are currently waiting for home care supports.

Deputy O’Rourke said, “It’s unacceptable that so many older people are waiting for access to vital home care supports. These people have already been assessed by the HSE and it has been determined that they need additional home care supports. It’s perfectly clear for all to see that the Government simply isn’t providing the necessary resources to ensure people get access to the home care supports that they need.

“I have raised this issue directly with HSE management and have asked for details on how the waiting list for home care supports will be cleared. The replies that I have received to date leave a lot to be desired as the HSE have made it clear that they do not have the funding needed to meet demand. HSE management have said that the matter is in the hands of the Minister for Health Simon Harris for consideration.

“It makes little sense to delay giving home care supports to people that need them. It goes against the Government’s stated aim of ensuring people can continue living in their home if they so choose to do so. It is also leading to unnecessary overcrowding in our hospitals. There are many older people in hospitals that are ready to be discharged but are unable to return home as the necessary home care supports have not been put in place.

“Minister Harris and his Government colleagues need to ensure that the Home Care Support Scheme is properly resourced. We all know that there are limited resources, but the current situation is only leading to increases costs in the long run due to overcrowding in hospitals and a scarcity of beds in nursing homes,” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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O’Rourke – Fianna Fáil bill will tackle fraudulent Insurance claims

Frank O’Rourke TD says a new Bill being brought forward by his party should lead to reduced insurance costs, as it will clamp down on fraudulent insurance claims.

“Fraudulent insurance claims have been a contributory factor in the rising insurance costs, which people in Kildare and across the country have been hit with in recent years.”

“The average premiums today are still €300 higher now than they were in 2014. Constituents regularly raise the high cost of motor and business insurances with me at my weekly clinics”  stated Deputy O’Rourke.

“Our Bill, the Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2018, is the latest measure from our party aimed at tackling spiralling insurance costs. I have raised the high cost of insurance with the Government on many occasions and have offered a number of proposals which the Government should have pursued. The Government has not given focus to this issue and it is affecting the cost of living for many people.”

“The majority of insurance claimants are genuine. However, there is an underlying issue with fraudulent claims, which is driving up the cost of insurance for motorists, businesses, community groups and individuals. We need to address this issue and our Bill is designed to make would-be false claimants think twice about making a claim. If passed, the Bill will direct a court to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions where a case is deemed to be a fraudulent action.”

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O’Rourke – Cost of Living impacting on competitiveness

Frank O Rourke TD has again highlighted the fact that the rising cost of living is affecting our competitiveness and is now affecting our ability to attract Foreign Direct Investment.

“As I have said before, Ireland is losing its competitiveness. Our cost of living expenses, including insurance, mortgage rates, rents and childcare, are the highest in the EU.”

“We have high motor and business insurance costs, and the Government progress on the implementation of the recommendations on the Motor Insurance Working Group has been slow to say the least.”

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O’Rourke – Local Property Tax should not be increased

Fianna Fail’s Deputy Finance Spokesperson, Frank O’Rourke, has pressed the Government not to increase the net Local Property Tax (LPT) on families, as property valuation has increased since the introduction of the LPT in 2013.

“Local Property Tax (LPT) rates have been frozen since 2013, but in the meantime, house prices have increased substantially. This means that property taxes could rise substantially in 2020 when houses are revalued again, unless fairness is adopted by the Government.”

“The local property tax was reluctantly accepted by the people and it was introduced gradually. However as property valuation increases, homeowners need to be protected from severe hikes in their LPT,” stated Deputy O’Rourke.

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O’Rourke – More support needed for returning emigrants

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Government to put in place a cross-departmental strategic action plan to encourage and facilitate returning emigrants so that they can smoothly reintegrate back into our society.

“Over the last ten years, hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens had to leave our country to find employment abroad out of necessity, and not out of choice. As our economy improves, we must encourage and facility returning emigrants. We should have a strategy, which has a cross department approach, to enable returning emigrants smoothly reintegrate back into our society and economy. Today, there are disproportionate and unnecessary administrative burdens affecting Irish emigrants wanting to return to live in Ireland.”
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