Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. There are local and national issues. As the Deputy will be aware, I published the results of a public consultation which I launched after taking office last October. I have stood over my commitment to bring about the scheme for home care to mirror the fair deal scheme and ensure people will be guaranteed access to the home care they require under statute, in a similar manner to the fair deal scheme, which we developed and which has grown and been committed to. Nobody has to wait for more four weeks under the commitments in the fair deal scheme. It is guaranteed by statute that everybody who wants to avail of it will get it, and will not have to wait any more than four weeks.

I want a similar scheme to be established to allow people to continue to live in their homes. I have put a timeline of two to three years on that and we are about nine or ten months into the process. It will take another two years to bring about the scheme and ensure it is delivered by statute and properly funded, as well as to address the issues the Deputy has raised, which are affecting Mayo and west Cork. The issues include the availability of staff to fill posts and their terms and conditions. Home helps having to travel a 14-mile round trip to deliver half an hour of service does not make sense to anybody. I have said on the record that the current system is not fit for purpose and that is why I want to design a properly funded, equitable, fair, transparent and efficient service for home help.

See this speech in context