Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I thank the Deputies for raising the issue as it provides me with an opportunity to reaffirm the Government's commitment to services for older people generally and, in particular, the important area of providing day and respite care.

Government policy on older people is to support people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Where this is not feasible, the health service supports access to quality long-term residential care where this is appropriate. This policy approach is renewed and developed in the latest partnership agreement, Towards 2016.

The Government's objective of continued development of community-based services for older persons is reflected in the funding given to the system in recent times. In the budgets of 2006 and 2007, more than €400 million was provided to enhance service developments across the sector, of which just over €190 million was for community-based services over these two years.

Arising from the budget of 2008, a full-year package of €22 million has been allocated for new services in the area of older people. This gives a total of more than €422 million for new services for older people over the last three years. These measures have been designed to both enhance existing services that the Government had already put in place and to widen the range of services available to older people.

In this context, over €16 million has been provided in the last three years for new day and respite care services. The recent budget will allow an additional 1,245 clients nationally to avail of new respite places and brings the total projected day care provision to approximately 21,300 places by the end of this year.

The HSE is committed, through the national service plan 2008, to delivering services within its Vote provided by the Oireachtas. It will manage the provision of respite care beds at Cherry Orchard within this context, while also recognising the priority the Government and the Executive have given to services for older people.

There is no doubt that demand can at times exceed service resources and that this problem can manifest itself at local level such as the particular pressures being experienced at Cherry Orchard. However, it is a matter for the HSE to deliver services both nationally and locally within its budget and overall health policy priorities. I understand that, in this particular case, the executive will continue to keep the matter under close review.

See this speech in context