Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will be aware that when the State is the significant supplier of any service, it is necessary, under European rules, to put an element of the contract out to tender. It was not this Government which negotiated that, it was negotiated by a previous Administration. That to which I refer is what needs to happen.

The home help service funding of approximately €185 million will provide for 10.3 million home help hours in 2015, the same level of service and funding that was provided for in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. In addition, we also have the home care packages. We do not have an obsession - neither does the HSE - with private companies. I understand that when people wish to remain in their own homes, this is the best possible option for them. I understand that perfectly. It is an option that we would all choose for ourselves. I reiterate that there is not an obsession.

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The difficulty is that, with the collapse of the economy, we had to ensure that not only did we get the best possible value - home helps are extraordinarily good value for the job they do - but we also had to ensure resources were spread as evenly as possible. It will certainly have to be kept under review because at the other end, we are putting people into long-stay residential care at a stage when, albeit in the minority of cases, they do not want to be in it and it is the more expensive option. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter which we will keep under review.

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