asked the Minister for Health if any projections have been done by his Department on the growing numbers of elderly people in Irish society and the different services which will have to be either created or expanded to meet future needs.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Needs of Elderly.
7.
Elderly persons use most of the major health services extensively. In planning the future development of these services, therefore, special account is taken of the expected number of elderly persons in the population to be served. For this purpose, my Department use the population projections which are made by the Central Statistics Office and which include particulars of the expected numbers of elderly persons in the population. These projections have, where necessary, been supplemented by more detailed projections which have been made in my Department for purposes of planning the health services.
Will the Minister give the House details of those projections?
I can supply that to the Deputy.
Has the Minister that information with him? Can he tell the House the number of elderly people he expects in our society in the next five years?
I have that information here but it is fairly complicated and I do not want to give any information which might distort the picture. In my view it would be better if I wrote to the Deputy about the matter and gave him all the information. It is expected that there will be a substantial increase in the number of elderly people, about 30,000 or 8.4 per cent, over the next ten years but there are various other calculations and projections which I would prefer to put in the proper from for the Deputy.
I would appreciate that information. Is the Minister's Department preparing plans to provide the services that an expanded elderly population would require?
Yes.
May I have those details?
Sin ceist eile.
I asked for that in the course of my question.
I told the Deputy that in planning the future development of these services special account is taken of the expected number of elderly persons in the population to be served. We have to have regard to the general structure of the population, including the proportion of elderly people.
Is the Minister aware that present projections are that there will be a vast expansion of the elderly population in our society in the next five years and that certain services will be needed to meet these requirements? Has the Minister considered the number of places that will be required in homes for the elderly?
Yes.
Will the Minister give me those particulars?
It would take a major speech to give all that information.
I imagined that there would be tabulations. Can the Minister give me those tabulations?
I cannot give the Deputy my entire health policy by way of answer to a question here. The Deputy's question is directed primarily at the development of our population in so far as the proportion of elderly people in it are concerned. I have given the Deputy an assurance that we have attempted to project that increase in the elderly over the next decade and that our plans will be geared to cater for that increase.
That is a very vague and ambiguous thing to say. It is not just the responsibility of the Minister for Health but the responsibility of the House to provide the necessary funds to meet these demands and, consequently, that information should be made available to us.
I have made a positive statement. We are aware of the change that is taking place in our population. We have calculated it as accurately as we can by means of different projections. In view of the fact that the elderly are by far the most intense users of all health services that factor will be taken into account in all our planning.
Is this the private domain of the Minister for the Health or of us as legislators and of the public in general?
What in particular does the Deputy wish to know?
I want to know, first the projections and secondly how we can meet these new demands which will be made on us within the next 12 years.
I called Deputy Boland some time ago.
Could the Minister indicate the age which his Department has taken as the basis for defining "elderly" in the projections?
We use two. We do two different categories; we look at the number of people over 75 and the number over 65.
Have there been any attempts made at projections for persons over 60?
Not in this context but we have those projections also and I can let the Deputy have them if he wishes.
I should be grateful for them.
Can I take it that the Minister will let me have the information?
I trust the Deputy will remind me if it does not arrive in the near future.