Mr. Bernard Gloster:

Absolutely. I underscore my comments with the Cathaoirleach's. The majority of home care staff, be they employed directly by the HSE or by not-for-profit or for-profit organisations, are really good, well-trained, decent, kind people. We can never lose sight of the value of that, apart from the core task. I can go back to my previous life as a chief officer in the HSE, and the restrictions on tasks came from the time of the financial crash, when the amount available to provide services was capped and we had years when there were no developments. To meet the best possible demand, an assessment of need was introduced for the person receiving the service, and they received a service in respect of their personal care. That took out elements of social interaction, which I think the Cathaoirleach has mentioned, that would have an added value in quality of life. We understand that, but when there is the demand we have and the availability of the hours we have - and we have 6,000 people waiting - we try to condense the tasks to the essential personal care and clinical tasks to get to as many people as possible.