Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My last question is about the budget in the home help area, particularly in Cork. I am getting parochial now. We are constantly being told that there is no budget to increase home help hours. I am not saying home help hours have been decreased because they have not been but the demand is increasing. It is a concern on the ground. As we all know, the home help service does vital work. It keeps people out of hospital for longer and keeps them in their own homes. I wonder would it be possible for people to get a certain number of home help hours and then be able to pay - the HSE not an agency - towards a certain number of home hours. The user availing of home help from the HSE would prefer to have the same person or persons coming in - there might be three home helps coming in to a particular house - and ask for an extra five hours but pay incrementally so much towards it, depending on the amount that was needed.