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

The Deputy makes a very fair point about the difference between the budget for community care and acute care. That is why the Minister has overseen the change from that system to what we call the regional integrated care organisation, which takes both together. Those organisations which have been established, as the Deputy is aware, have a single budget to address the issue. We are aware of and have addressed the issue. Home care is being addressed with the introduction of a statutory home care scheme in 2021, which is committed to under Sláintecare. We have funding in the budget for next year to bring in some pilots to test the scheme. I will bringing proposals for that scheme to Cabinet in the next weeks and we will unveil more detail of it in late January. That will assist as well because there is an issue there. The Government accepts the benefit of home care and that is why the budget has increased from €300 million or so to almost €500 million in the last number of years. We cannot keep up with the pace of its success and trying to meet the demand for it, but we are determined to do so under a statutory scheme.

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