Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is a very important issue and we have to understand exactly what has happened. The topic affects many people throughout the country. The home support service provides domestic or personal care inputs on a weekly basis. Temporary relief is offered to the carer by way of providing a trained, reliable care attendant to look after the needs of the person with a disability. The service provides support for parents which enables them to spend quality time with other siblings in the family. It also supports the individual with the disability in the context of his or her care plan, with particular attention being paid to the personal needs of the individual. Home supports can be provided through a dedicated home support service or the generic home health service. They can be an alternative to residential care where support for the individuals in daily living can avoid the need for a full-time residential service. I assure the House that I will do everything in my power to ensure these services will be protected and I hope increased over time in order that more individuals can be supported.

On the specific case raised by the Deputy, the HSE endeavours to use the funding and hours available in the most effective ways possible. The Government's ongoing priority is to safeguard vulnerable people in the care of the health service. We are spending €1.9 billion on disability services in 2019, which represents an increase of 7.5%. I recently announced an extra €10 million in funding for respite care houses throughout the country. Some ten new houses have been completed to date and another two will be completed in the next couple of months. One of the first things the Government did after being forming was to restore the carer's grant of €1,700 per family to 101,000 families.

There are issues we have to resolve and I give a commitment that I will follow up on the case highlighted by the Deputy.

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