Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I know it is a very important issue for many households in different parts of the country. The challenge with home help hours and home supports is a very personal one for many households. The Government is committing significant increases in resources to provide more home care hours all the time. A €26 million fund has been made available for winter funding for the HSE. This is to provide new hours and to support hospital discharges where possible. The Government has invested an additional €52 million to bring the total funding for home supports to €487 million for next year. In 2020, the HSE will deliver in excess of 19.2 million hours of home supports, which I suspect is significantly higher than we have ever done before.

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