Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise to the Minister but I have a Commencement Matter in the Seanad on a health issue which I must go to. However, I will come back once it is dealt with. Respite care is a major problem. I notice the number of people who have been able to get respite care has reduced drastically. My understanding is that part of that has been the result of HIQA inspections on the basis of which facilities have been deemed unsuitable or inadequate. There is also the issue of, for example, Cope in Cork where 1,500 people attend for day care. We have a huge problem now of an aging caring population. We have elderly parents. I have people in their 80s who are looking after a son or a daughter. In one case, a man is dropping his daughter to a day-care facility every day and picking her up every evening. There are a huge number of families who, in the next four to six years, will not be able to do that. I am concerned that the amount of respite care is decreasing. It is something we need to plan for but I am not satisfied that we are doing so. Will the Minister agree to take this matter up with the HSE? What are the projections for the next two to three years having regard to people being cared for by parents now but who will end up needing permanent and full-time care as no immediate family member will be available to look after them? How can we reverse what is happening in relation to respite care to make facilities available?

Deputy Kelleher referred to management. Deputy Kelleher referred to three people a month in management, but in fact more than 2,000 additional people have been taken on in administration and management in the HSE in the last two years. We now have 17,000 in that area. If one adds in nurse managers, there are another 7,500. Technically, we have-----