Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That was a comprehensive answer to a question I did not ask the Minister of State. I asked for specific details about the number of banked hours. She told me of about 67 people in the Cork and Kerry region who had banked 100 hours or more. How many hours are banked in the system?

I do not think any Deputy in the House would dispute Sinn Féin's position on the matter. We are contacted on a daily basis by people who are very concerned because an elderly relative, a young sick relative or a relative confined to home for any reason is having home-help hours cut. The HSE is cutting the hours to the vulnerable and those who need it the most while at the same time banking the hours of people who want to work. It is also effectively cutting back on those hours. I have asked a fairly simple question and I would appreciate if the Minister of State could answer it directly.

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