Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a situation we have all found ourselves in throughout the year. The number of people seeking home help hours and care packages at the beginning of this year reached an unprecedented high and without the €40 million in additional funding this year we would possibly see even more cuts than we see across the board now. We will be spending €68.4 million more on home care packages and home help next year than we are this year. I do not like to put it into figures because we are talking about somebody's mother, grandmother, brother or sister. Without that additional funding, we will not be able to provide the additional support. I cannot give the Deputy the exact figures of how much will go to CHO area 2, which covers the hospital the Deputy has asked about. It will be decided in the coming weeks. I will provide the Deputy with the figures I have discussed here on the increases this year and next year.

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