Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

When we discussed the issue of home care during Leaders' Questions and questions to the Taoiseach, I made the point that the measures to be implemented in the new year will be the national guidelines and procedures for standardised implementation of the home care package scheme and the quality guidelines for home care support services for older people, which are due for publication, as well as guidelines for the home help service. With regard to statutory regulation, it has been the norm that we produce such guidelines in consultation with the voluntary and community sector and the statutory services. As there is a spectrum of care needs, we must ensure the response is proportionate and flexible. It is important that we maintain the ethos behind many of the schemes, such as good neighbourliness.

In the case of the home help scheme, people from within the community - in many cases, neighbours - are providing much-needed practical services and a home-care environment for people who require assistance. In the vast majority of cases, the services provided are very good. The priority up to now, as Deputies know, has been to deal with residential care services where that was required. We must now consider the home care setting in a way that respects the ethos of the provision of home care while insisting on proper, professional and compassionate standards for people who are in receipt of care. That is the balance that must be struck, and proportionality must be maintained. In this way we can make sure the largest possible number of people have access to these services in a way that is consonant with good standards and neighbourliness.

The other issue raised by the Deputy-----

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