Mr. Michael Harty:

One of the major issues is that the Department of Finance is loth to generate a statutory right to home care. People have a statutory right to residential care through the fair deal nursing home scheme but they do not have a right to home care. What we have been calling for is regulation of standards in the sector underpinned by legislation to give people a statutory right to home care. Obviously, given the times we are living in, it is something the Department of Finance does not want to look at. That is certainly a major part of the problem. It is a very short-sighted view. By giving people a right to home care, we will save more money in the long term.