John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Adjournment matter concerning home helps and home help hours. It is a matter close to my heart because it is one of common sense. If people are provided with a sufficient number of home help hours at minimal cost, they will be kept out of expensive institutions.

Senators Denis Landy and John Whelan and I have been vocal on this issue for a long time. We are vocal on behalf of those who were deprived of home help hours in 2012. We are also vocal on behalf of the home helps who have been before the Labour Court on 12 occasions in the past 12 months over their contracts not being honoured. They are not being given the hours which they have been contracted to do, which is a major issue. A contract is an agreement between two sides and one half of that agreement is not being honoured.

I expressed my dissatisfaction with the home help cuts made in 2012. I made representations on the issue before the last budget and received assurances that this decision would be reversed. It was mentioned in the budget announcement that the decision had been reversed and the figure of €7 million was restored to the home help budget. However, nobody I know who had their home help hours cut in 2012 has had them restored. I have viewed the HSE service plans in various counties in my neck of the woods and they reflect the same number of home help hours post the cuts in 2012. Nothing has changed.

It is obvious that either one of two things has happened. Either the announcement was not honoured and the money was not given back to the HSE, or the HSE received the money and spent it elsewhere. I would like to have clarity on that issue.