Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I will provide the Senator with that information. The 1,100 home care packages that were provided kept people out of hospitals and nursing homes. In some cases the provision of a small amount of additional help allowed people to live at home. In other cases, people were enabled to leave hospital earlier than would have been the case, secure in the knowledge that the necessary level of care would be provided to them in their own homes where they are happiest. In 2005 we increased the number of home care packages by an extra 2,000 and we will do the same this year. The total number of home care packages will be over 5,000.