Care of vulnerable to cost €3.4bn extra - report
The State will have to invest an extra €3.4bn over the next five years to care for children, elderly people and the disabled, a report said tonight.
This would be used to pay for specialist care as well as workplace-based crèches, private and community housing and nursing homes.
The Caring for the Future report, which was carried out by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), said there was an urgent need for a national care initiative.
“It would demonstrate that, as a country, we accept that caring and a modern care infrastructure are now as important a priority for our continuing economic and social prosperity as the so-called ‘hard infrastructure’ of transport, housing and roads.”
The report cited a recent study of childcare systems in Europe which ranked Ireland bottom of the 15 countries evaluated in terms of provision yet the most expensive in terms of cost.
Although the Government is investing €499m to provide 90,000 childcare places by 2006, the estimated future demand for 2011 is between 185,000 and 220,000 places.
The report found that for many families, childcare is both unavailable and, at prices of up to €172 per week, unaffordable.
There are over 320,000 people (8% of the population) with intellectual, physical or or mental disabilities, but there are long waiting lists for services.
This includes 1,300 people with physical and sensory disabilities waiting for support services and almost 8,500 waiting for technical aids and appliances.
Another 11,400 people are waiting for assessment for support services, 6,000 for personal assistance and 4,500 for respite services.
The report said the €900m pledged by the Government towards disability services over the next four years was significant but that further funding will be required.
It said the €3.4bn required in additional care investment could be raised by a number of methods including private savings, private insurance, public tax, social insurance or a special care tax.
