Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I do not have the information Deputy McGrath has in regard to the person who spoke to him about a situation applying at Christmas. That time has not yet arrived but if the Deputy wishes to supply details to the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, I am sure she will be prepared to look at the situation.

I take the Deputy's point about having to revert to private services. One of the great problems experienced by many families in both urban and rural Ireland is getting people to call to houses or to stay overnight to provide assistance and support where necessary. As Deputy McGrath is aware, there is a whole range of such cases. Yesterday I met a group from Roscommon who provide a not-for-profit service which costs approximately €15 per hour. This complements the HSE home help service although most private agencies charge a minimum of €20 per hour for similar services. The group already has some 200 people involved who, in many cases, will stay overnight in a household where that is necessary and appropriate. They are all vetted and their PRSI is paid. The savings to the Department of Health would be considerable if that model were to be adopted on a much broader scale.

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