Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I fully agree that we have to continue. There is urgency there, certainly at Government level in respect of this issue. The expansion has been quite dramatic and significant but so has been the growth in the population, the need and the demand. The Deputy is correct in saying that we have to concentrate and focus our resources on the home and keeping people living at home for as long as we possibly can. That is in the interests of the individual, of course, the family and broader society. We also have to recruit qualified people. There has to be a degree of vetting involved here as well in terms of safeguarding and protection of people who need care. There is potential, which we discussed earlier, in terms of overseas recruitment and bringing more carers in who can provide the service that is required. The issue now is recruitment of suitable people to staff the requirement. The resources have been increasing.

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