Results 1-20 of 26,021 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important matter. The Programme for Government - Securing Ireland’s Future includes several commitments to deliver practical housing for positive ageing. These commitments build upon the policy objectives in Housing for All that commit to increasing the housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank Deputy Cahill. He has covered many of the matters I wish to cover in the context of housing choice for older persons. On inclusion, we have older persons councils - through Age-Friendly Ireland - which very much engage with the local authorities. I am involving all older person representative organisations in the work I am doing in the context of the policy group on stakeholder...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: Taking the last point first, we have increased the grant amounts and income exemptions considerably. For instance, if someone has an income of below €40,000, they get 100% of the grant, the disabled persons grant and the housing adaptation grant, which was previously 95%. Furthermore, we have increased the level of the grants. We are always seeking to ensure that what is on offer...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (14 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank both Deputies. I understand the frustration for people in these areas. As I already stated, the Minister and the Department sought legal advice that confirmed extending the increases the Deputies are talking about to a wider group of relevant owners requires amending the Act. I think everyone is agreeable on that. In the interest of equity and fairness, the Minister intends to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (14 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I can only deal with what is the position now. It is down for priority drafting. The Minister is taking this matter very seriously. As indicated, a number of other matters have come to light during the first 18 months of the operation of the scheme and the Minister will consider a number of technical amendments also as part of this legislative change. These changes will assist in the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (14 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish to thank the Deputies. There were three Deputies down. Is Deputy Pearse Doherty absent?

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (14 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: That is fine. I thank Deputies Conway-Walsh and Mac Lochlainn for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. As the Deputies will be aware, the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022, which commenced on 22 June 2023, contains the current grant scheme and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish Deputy Rice well in his new role as Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Health. No doubt, we will be working with him. The programme for Government commits to designing a statutory home care scheme to allow people to stay in their own home for as long as possible. As Minister of State with responsibility for older people and housing, I am fully committed to delivering the design of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: As Minister of State, I have a responsibility to navigate the introduction of a statutory home care scheme. I am utterly committed to it but it must be built on solid foundations and process. The home care sector is unregulated so we have to regulate it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: This is a statement of fact. That is the first step. We are looking at the funding model. The ESRI is doing a body of work, which I hope to receive very shortly, looking at capacity in the context of acute, older people and private health services, so it is part of it overall. The first step is to get the legislation passed to regulate the sector. We will look at a funding model to look...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is worth setting out the practical side of it. Since 2020, Government has increased the spending on home care packages by €338 million. That is a considerable amount of money that has clearly allowed people to stay in their homes. It is about choice. We must stick with the process. I am new in the role. A lot of work was done by my predecessor. It is now about bringing the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: We can say we are always looking to increase the level of funding that has gone into home care, but it has increased to €838 million from a base of just over €400 million in 2020. It is such that between 58,000 and 60,000 people are receiving the service. The key thing is that, since last December, we have seen a significant reduction in the numbers. Deputy Gould might want...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: Improving access to home support is a priority for this Government. Home support hours have increased every year since 2020, from 17.8 million hours in 2020 to a funded target of over 24 million hours in 2025, including intensive and complex home support. The HSE has reported that 5,556 people were assessed and waiting on the provision of home support at the end of 2024, including those...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank the Deputy. I gave him global figures. I assumed he was going to ask me about CHO 8, his own area.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Home Care Packages (13 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is across the spectrum and there are different areas. As regards the Deputy's area of CHO 8, the additional hours provided to March 2025 were 434 in terms of people waiting. The total number of people waiting was 791. At the end of December 2024, that number was 932. We have seen a reduction of 141 in the number of people waiting. This is a positive. At the end of December 2024,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disease Management (8 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: The HSE’s 2023 Dementia Model of Care recognises the unique needs of people with young onset dementia, many of whom have young children, may still be in employment and may be financially supporting the family. In addition, younger people often present with atypical symptoms or rarer forms of dementia, meaning that diagnosis may be more complex and may take longer. The Dementia Model of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Waiting Lists (8 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Care Packages (8 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (7 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), more commonly referred to as Fair Deal, was designed to protect and support vulnerable older people to ensure equal access to nursing home care based on what they could afford. Participants within the NHSS contribute up to 80% of their income (40% if part of a couple) and 7.5% per annum of the value of their assets (3.75% if part of a couple). The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (7 May 2025)

Kieran O'Donnell: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.