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

There is no cut to home help hours. Nobody who is currently in receipt of home help hours is having them cut or removed. That is a fact. As regards the allocation of new hours, they are coming into the system all the time. However, the demand for them far exceeds the level of supply. Letters such as that referred to by the Deputy issue periodically. Of the 600 delayed discharges, 26 were impacted upon by the lack of home help packages. The lack of availability of home help is responsible for 4.4% of people who are in hospital but who should not be there.

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