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

The providers do not get a block grant. They are funded on a per hours basis. The Minister of State knows that. Saying they get a block grant is an attempt to make it sound as if they are part of the HSE or the Department of Health, which they clearly are not. The Minister of State knows they are not. Will she publish the details of the agreement that was reached between the Department and these global multinational corporations? With respect, the Minister of State is driving the small providers out of business. We should be encouraging these people. They respect the rate for the job, do not drive down conditions and are trying their best to be decent employers, yet here they are fighting with the Department of Health and the HSE and effectively being closed out of the market. Will the Minister of State publish the details of the arrangement she has reached with these global multinational corporations, which effectively excludes not-for-profit providers? The not-for-profit providers respect the rate for the job and put all the money into service provision, whereas others fund the global corporations that are offering services at present. It might interest the Minister of State to know that this is not a case of value for money. They charge up to €44 per hour, while the not-for-profit providers do not charge anywhere near that.

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