Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is quite right in what he says. A national recruitment drive is really important. As he knows, we have nine CHOs and they vary. CHO 9, which covers north County Dublin, delivers all its supports through both voluntary and private.

There is no HSE. It is something that evolved over many years. Its waiting list is the lowest in the country with 50 people waiting. Yesterday, I met with CHO 4, which is Cork-Kerry, and 75% of its home care is provided through the HSE and 25% is provided through the voluntary and private sectors. It is important to consider the voluntary sector here. Last week, I met with Northside Homecare Services in north County Dublin. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation and it delivered 900,000 hours last year. It is doing phenomenal work on the ground.

However, I agree with what the Deputy said. We are doing a rolling recruitment campaign in certain CHOs, not all of them. The terms and conditions provided by the HSE include €16 per hour plus mileage. They are attractive compared to some in the private sector, but I agree with the Deputy and my meeting yesterday was focused on that.

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