Joe O'Reilly backs super juniors to address elderly and disability
Joe O'Reilly spoke in the House about the need to add "super juniors" at Cabinet to tackle growing needs in elderly care and disability services. He urged colleagues to vote in favour, arguing the appointments will help deliver cluster housing, statutory home nursing and reduce waiting lists for assessment and treatment.
Joe O'Reilly said extra ministries and super junior ministers at Cabinet level are required so there is a clear line of responsibility and an effective mechanism for transfers to Departments. He argued these roles would ensure ministers are aware of Cabinet discussions and can respond rapidly to societal needs.
He identified two priorities for older persons - the development of cluster housing with supporting facilities and placing home nursing supports on a statutory footing so that equivalent care can be provided in the home as in a nursing home.
O'Reilly highlighted pressing needs in disability policy, including a backlog on waiting lists for assessment, the need for subsequent treatments, and a shortage of facilities. He said there is much to be done and welcomed that a colleague minister had been effective on elements of this agenda in the previous administration.
He accepted that opposition scrutiny of policy or individual nominations is part of democratic debate, but argued it is unreasonable to oppose measures aimed at addressing obvious societal gaps. He said voters will judge the Parliament and Government by whether their lives improve over the term.
O'Reilly framed the vote as a question of results - who is addressing needs, how they are being addressed, and whether interventions make a tangible difference by the end of the five-year period. He urged MPs to prioritise practical responses over narrow or populist objections.
Main proposal
Joe O'Reilly said extra ministries and super junior ministers at Cabinet level are required so there is a clear line of responsibility and an effective mechanism for transfers to Departments. He argued these roles would ensure ministers are aware of Cabinet discussions and can respond rapidly to societal needs.
Elderly care priorities
He identified two priorities for older persons - the development of cluster housing with supporting facilities and placing home nursing supports on a statutory footing so that equivalent care can be provided in the home as in a nursing home.
Disability services concerns
O'Reilly highlighted pressing needs in disability policy, including a backlog on waiting lists for assessment, the need for subsequent treatments, and a shortage of facilities. He said there is much to be done and welcomed that a colleague minister had been effective on elements of this agenda in the previous administration.
Parliamentary defence of the appointments
He accepted that opposition scrutiny of policy or individual nominations is part of democratic debate, but argued it is unreasonable to oppose measures aimed at addressing obvious societal gaps. He said voters will judge the Parliament and Government by whether their lives improve over the term.
Focus on outcomes
O'Reilly framed the vote as a question of results - who is addressing needs, how they are being addressed, and whether interventions make a tangible difference by the end of the five-year period. He urged MPs to prioritise practical responses over narrow or populist objections.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett: Urges Wealth Taxes and Economic Diversification
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath: Demands pause on moving Ukrainians from Dundrum Hotel
Gerard P. Craughwell
Gerard P. Craughwell: Calls for 24-7-365 Search and Rescue Overhaul
Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett: School barred from hiring substitutes
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan urges review of local government representation
Michael Collins
Michael Collins urges rethink on West Cork speed limit cuts
Transcript
The job of government at any given time is to respond to the needs of society, to the pressing issues in society. What this will assist doing is dealing with two major contemporary issues. One of them is the whole area of older persons. We have an increasing, a large cohort of the population who are older people, who are living longer and who have complex needs. There's clearly a need for a particular type of cluster housing for older persons with the facilities around them. There's clearly a need to put on a statutory basis home help, or rather the nursing home legislation on a statutory basis in the home, so that the same facilities can be provided in the home as in a nursing home. Those are two clear needs. In the area of disability, which I must say my colleague Minister Rabbit was outstanding in the last administration, in that area there are crying needs. There's the area identified yesterday of the extra, which I believe Minister Noctum will deal with very well, but there's the whole area of the waiting list for assessment. There's the area then of having the subsequent treatments, and there's the whole question around facilities. There's so much to be done here. So I think the issue here shouldn't be some narrow populist focus in on who's what, who's where, this number. It's about, are we addressing society's needs adequately? To address the complex needs of the Muslim society we're living in now, we need the extra ministries. We need the super juniors at Cabinet, having a vice at Cabinet, and being aware of what's happening within Cabinet for a transfer to the Department. As I speak about this area, I'm delighted to welcome my colleague Minister Higgins here today too, and to know that you are, as before, about your job in a very effective way again. I think what the people out there will judge this Parliament by, will judge this Government by, is how did we respond to their needs? What mechanisms did we put in place that improved their lives? Is there a tangible difference in their lives at the end of the five years? And that's the question today. Not some sort of nonsense talk about many of this and many of that. The question is who, what needs are we dealing with, how are we dealing with them, who's dealing with them, and who's effectively dealing with them? And that's the question before the House. And I think a rational response to that question is to vote in favour of the addition of the super juniors on the premise that they are responding and will respond effectively. Now, it would be reasonable for an opposition to challenge a particular policy position, to challenge a particular nomination if the person was unfit. That's part of a democratic debate, but what's not reasonable is to challenge dealing with a particular societal need that's a gaping need and that needs dealing with. Thank you very much.