Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----or one of his Ministers of State ? I believe he is talking to both of them at the moment, which is good ? would come to the House today to tell us what is Government policy on home-care hours. Page 38 of the programme for Government states that not only would the Government retain existing home-care packages but it would increase them. The programme for Government was signed up to by Fine Gael and the Labour Party. Members of those parties should not come to the House crying crocodile tears and tell us that they are railing against the HSE because they are an awful bunch of people who have taken 450,000 home-care hours. I want the Minister to come to the House today. There is ample time. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, would come to this House and explain to us whether it is Government policy to cut home-care hours and, furthermore, to ask him to reverse the cut. He has not been too quick to cut consultants? pay.