Mr. Michael Harty:

That is an interesting point. First, I should clarify that the court decision was in relation only to HSE directly employed home help staff and not home help staff employed by section 39 agencies, who do not have guaranteed hours. The HCCI is in favour of moving away from these so-called zero-hour contracts. The biggest issue we face going forward is the sourcing of quality home care workers. As evident from our demographics, demand in the sector is going one way. Our concern is from where in the future we will get suitably qualified carers to meet this demand.

It is easy for the HSE, as the provider of funding, to guarantee hours to its workers. The problem with zero-hour contracts is one of funding and the structure of that funding. With more visibility around the care we are being asked to provide and more access to funds we could also move in that direction. In comparing private providers with the HSE one is comparing apples with oranges. The HSE can reserve hours for its staff to ensure that they are doing their seven to ten hours and so on. We cannot do that.