John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I acknowledge the increase in figures he has outlined. It is fair to say that last year was problematic. It is an indication that we have an ageing population that is growing. Most public representatives would have had an increased number of people presenting at their offices looking for support.

The Minister of State has indicated that there will be home support services for 53,000 people. Last year the budget was for 50,500. Most times we asked questions, there were 52,000 to 52,500 people in receipt of service. At the same time, there were 6,000 to 7,000 on a waiting list. If the 52,500 is added to 6,500, there were 59,000 people looking for home support services at any given time. Making a service for 53,000 available does not seem sufficient to meet current need. Will the Minister of State look at that in the context of the constant demand last year, where hours were being recycled or diminished, and in the context of the problem for elderly people in hospital in particular where they are trying to come home and that demand is not being met by the number of hours being made available?

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