Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the establishment of the national home visiting programme. I am struck, however, by the fact the research into home visiting services was commissioned in 2022 and was supposed to be completed in 2023. We hear now it is going to be completed this year. There is only one year left of this Government. I very much hope the outcomes from that research will be acted upon this year.

I am concerned about the full understanding within the Department about home visiting. The Minister of State talked at the start of his response about home visiting services and the current public health nurse home visitation programme. They are entirely separate from what I am talking about here. Home visiting services are not provided by public health nurses. They are home visitors. It is a completely distinct service.

I welcome all supports to those who were in mother and baby and county home institutions, but that is not relevant to what we are talking about here. It is a pity the Department is purposely confusing supports to the families we are talking about.