Mr. Damian Ginley:

I am paraphrasing from the full submission but the commitment to direct labour is a key requirement. Terms and conditions of employment have been established in the public service so we do not see why somebody should be doing the same job but be paid significantly less. There is no explanation for that other than it is for profit. The role of home care support is key to the roll-out of Sláintecare because the principle of Sláintecare is care in the community and at home. It is about caring for people who do not need to be in facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes. It is what people want. They want the care delivered in their home where it can be provided.

We ask the HSE to ensure any recruitment issues are addressed and to continue the engagements with us on that. We are asking for the provision of localised campaigns to speed up that process. Separately, we are seeking a process with the Government to establish a collective bargaining mechanism to allow us to engage on behalf of the private and the not-for-profit sector on their terms and conditions. That is to try to get a foundation we can work from.