Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for coming in. I think we all rest a little easier after hearing their submissions. Maybe that is just me.

In his opening contribution, Mr. Quinn stated "This means that some commissioning decisions will result in the rationalisation of services and will require courageous choices." Can he elaborate on what those choices would be and what sort of barriers he would envisage encountering while trying to rationalise services? Mr. Quinn went on to state, "The introduction of a standardised framework to commission services would help". Is he stating there is no standardised framework at present and it is all over the place? Have there been moves in recent years to standardise the commissioning framework for services?

To follow on from Deputy Brassil's point about care in the home, I understand that people will not be made to put in new bathrooms if they do not require them. My concern here is that in my experience, many people who may be retired carers or nurses or who have none of those qualifications, have capably cared for people in their homes. Given the advertisements on television and the leaflets on view in doctors' surgeries and pharmacies for private home care providers, I am concerned that in regulating the manpower and womanpower of those coming in, we may exclude the son or the daughter-in-law who have stayed at home or any person who wants to care for an elderly person or disabled family member in the home. I understand we cannot have anyone being abused in their home and terrible things happen in some circumstances but in my experience, the vast majority of people caring for a family member are dedicated and committed and are 24-7 people. Can we achieve a balance where we do not create a situation in which, for example, I could be excluded from minding my sister-in-law in the home on the basis of that I am not a commercial provider - assuming I am not financially abusive or anything like that? It is about the balance of supporting people who want to be cared for in the home and people who may not have particular qualifications but are good people and will mind people in an adequate way. How do we get that balance so that we do not end up privatising home care provision and excluding the very essence of what we are trying to get at?