Mr. Robert Deegan:

This area is being prioritised in the Department. We have a commitment on additional staffing which will help in this regard. As recognised by members, it takes some time to develop these types of proposals, particularly when they involve legislation. As I said, this area is being prioritised within the Department and we are moving it along as quickly as we can. The experience referenced in terms of the fair deal scheme is indicative because there are parallels between the two processes but we intend to do this quicker than was done in respect of the fair deal scheme.

A number of members asked about regulation. The Department recognises and acknowledges the need for regulation of home care services. This service is either funded by the HSE or privately. The new system will help to promote quality and client safety. In addition, it will ensure that the public can be confident in services and that the services being provided to their relatives and loved ones are of the type they need and are of appropriate quality. To develop the regulatory system we will be considering the experience of other jurisdictions. Dr. Long's report will be very helpful in this regard. We will also be taking into account the expertise in this country. For example, we will engage with HIQA and we will consider Senator Burke's Bill which builds on the work of the Law Reform Commission. This process will be about learning what we can and adapting. We cannot pick a system and introduce it in Ireland. Any system would have to be tailored to the particular requirements we have in this country.

I should mention, however, that while we do not have a statutory scheme of regulation, the Health Service Executive took a significant step towards quality assurance in 2012 when it introduced the single procurement framework for external providers of home care services. The framework includes quality standards for governance and accountability, person centred care, complaints management and training and qualifications. Providers are monitored by the HSE through service level agreements and are required to provide a range of information on their services. It is our intention to build on this good work and place the regulatory system on a statutory footing as quickly as we can.

In terms of a timeline for the development of the regulatory system, it is our intention to make parallel proposals on regulation and the statutory scheme. The reason both processes will be done in tandem is that we want them to mesh well, as opposed to having them develop in isolation.

It is interesting to note the finding of a recent opinion poll commissioned by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, that 76% of respondents mistakenly believed home care services were already being regulated. It is not only experts in this area but members of the general public who expect these types of services to be statutorily regulated and it is our intention to follow through on that expectation. I will be pleased to answer questions members may have on regulation.