Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Earlier, I raised the issue of nursing homes closing. In his response, the Taoiseach mentioned the increase in home care. In that context, we see that care workers employed by private, not-for-profit companies are walking away from their employment because of low income, not having pay for their travel, not having sick pay and travel time not being counted in the number of hours worked. Those are just some of the poor working conditions that they endure. It is no wonder that they are leaving. The advisory group made a number of recommendations. One is for travel to be reimbursed. Another is that, crucially, when the HSE is inviting tenders for care work, it should insist on minimum wage being paid and on removing the ban on recruiting home care workers from non-EU countries. Will the Taoiseach commit to implementing these recommendations? I suggest that it is not just minimum wage that should be paid, but a living wage.

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