Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Have we looked for that information? I am concerned about the people who are being required to provide the service and being asked to tender. The tender has to meet the HSE's requirements but what is being paid out is way under what it costs the HSE to run it.

Over the past four years the HSE has taken on an additional 13,000 people in all areas, including nursing, administration and caring staff. I have heard complaints about companies that were providing home care and a lot of their staff have been recruited by the HSE and have been given contracts. There are more than 2,000. Will the witnesses give some clarification on that? I understand Nursing Homes Ireland is having a problem retaining staff as are the private home care providers. I am looking for some clarification on that.

The third issue I want to raise is our growing elderly population. The figures have been referred to at this meeting and numerous other times. We now have full employment. How can we get more people to provide homecare if such competitiveness is a feature? I understand there are difficulties involved in bringing people in from abroad. It is a challenge. The people who are providing homecare privately have the challenge of recruiting workers. The HSE has difficulties in getting carers for people despite the fact it is paying people a reasonable rate. We are now facing a major challenge in that area. How do we deal with that challenge?

Where the HSE is providing homecare, I have come across a number of cases where there is a major difficulty at both weekends and public holidays. How do we deal with that issue? On the one hand, the HSE is providing a very good service between 8 a.m. or 9.a.m and 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. five days a week but at weekends and on public holidays there is a major problem. There is no company available to provide care over the weekends. I am talking in particular about people who live alone and there is no immediate family around them. How do we face that challenge?