Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sure all sorts of issues relating to domiciliary care and respite care grants and so on were raised. I would expect that to be the case.

I am aware of one or two cases of people in my constituency who have not been able to get respite care. It often happens because emergency residential care is required for someone else. That, I suppose, is the nature of these things. There are always competing financial demands. Also, where there is a social or personal care help need, it is often given to people who at that particular point in time need it a little bit more. I will seek a report from the HSE on it and I will ask what additional measures could be put in place to ensure we have adequate respite facilities for carers. We want to be able to support them in what they do. The fact that they do what they do reduces the need or the potential need for long-term residential care.

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