Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator MacSharry and others congratulated President Obama on his re-election. We all wish him well for the next four years and we hope his presidency will bring prosperity to his nation and help to bring prosperity to this country and the rest of the world.

I refer to the very important issue of home help services which was raised by Senator MacSharry. The Government is committed to supporting older people to live with dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. The Government has invested approximately ¤320 million this year in home help and home care packages. This funding is given to various HSE community-based services such as mainstream home help, enhanced home care packages, meals on wheels and day or respite care. These services meet the preferred wishes of many vulnerable older people while also reducing pressures elsewhere in the wider care system. Approximately 100,000 people, 20% of those over 65 years, receive some form of HSE community-based supports each year. This is a challenging year for the health services, including the maintenance of services in line with evolving resource pressures. The HSE has a statutory responsibility to live within its budget voted by the Oireachtas.

The HSE plan for 2012 was to deliver 10.7 million home help hours to 50,000 people with a budget of ¤200 million. It is proposed that there will be a reduction of approximately ¤8 million spending on home help between now and the end of the December or approximately 400,000 hours. However, the HSE intends that the impact of these reductions will be minimised for individual recipients by ensuring that services are provided in the first instance for direct patient care. Decisions on the provision of home help hours will continue to be based on a review of individual needs and no current recipient of the service who has an assessed need will be left without it. That commitment has been given and it will be honoured.

Senator MacSharry and many others raised the question of allegations that were printed in a newspaper about family planning clinics. I understand that an investigation is ongoing in that regard. It was also stated that the facts were reported to the Garda. I have the utmost confidence that if the Garda discovers any malpractice and illegal activity by any organisation that it will be acted upon. It is the appropriate authority to deal with the matter.