Mr. Paul Bell:

In the health services in home help provision, one may find that a home help or home care worker works on and off for an average of 25 hours a week, even though the contract could be for ten hours or a minimum of ten hours. On some occasions, it predominantly impacts on female workers. They are told the hours are going to be reduced, but if they wish to pick up the hours they had, they can work for an agency. This is a manipulation. It involves the State employer saying that it has to reduce the hours because its budget is gone, but if the employee follows on another link, he or she can work those hours for the same client by jumping onto that ship.

If a worker is working an average of 20 hours for a period of, say, 18 months, as Ms King has suggested, the employer would have to provide those hours or the funding for them. I know exactly the position Deputy Neville is describing. In the health services, some people have to juggle employers; sometimes, however, it is for the worst reasons. The proposal is just to demonstrate that I am not actually working those people the hours that they are required to give that service.