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

I thank the Deputy again and acknowledge the Deputy's commitment and consistency on this issue, having raised it a number of times in this forum. The Minister, Deputy Harris, is aware of the specific case because Deputy Moynihan has brought it to his attention. The Minister has addressed it with the HSE and asked it to prioritise and look at the case. He has also been in contact with the HSE about the wider question of availability. The Deputy asked about the end of this year. There is €26 million for the winter plan, which is to assist with both home help hours and respite and transitional care, to improve movement through the hospital system. In answer to the question of whether there is anything towards the end of this year, additional money has gone into the system to support it. I have a number of these cases in my own constituency. These cases can be complicated, where one is trying to start a service and get the necessary personnel available. I am not speaking about the Deputy's specific case but not all cases are resource-dependent. Some are resource-dependent, and more important than the money is whether a person is there to deliver the service, which is a complication in my area and other areas.

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