Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a question on home care. One of the big problems in rural areas is finding suitably qualified people to look after elderly people. Can we develop a new initiative in that area? It is now a fundamental issue. I am dealing with a case where someone is on dialysis three days a week and is living in a rural area. That person needs that additional support but in a rural area it is quite difficult to get. I ask the Minister of State to consider a new initiative to encourage people living in rural areas who might not be in the workforce at the moment but could be encouraged to come in and provide this kind of back-up support. Could something like that be done?