Ms Laverne McGuinness:

Good value is being obtained in respect of them. We do not directly employ people in the provision of the home help service when we are contracting a particular agency in that respect. We are not, therefore, responsible for the provision of pensions, PRSI, and so forth. The agency would have to take up all the costs associated with staff absenteeism, management of pensions, management of payrolls, and so on. There have been gaps in particular areas where it was not possible to obtain direct provision if one so wished. That also has been a particular circumstance in our selection of outsourcing that arrangement.