Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that Nursing Homes Ireland made a submission to the Department more than six months ago and has been raising this issue for some time with the Department. The Department has not corresponded with the Minister of State's Department, but I will again take back his message.

There is a serious shortage, and it is interesting that it does not just apply to Ireland. For instance, Israel has a system whereby a person can be granted a five-year visa to come to the country to provide home care, and it is working well. We are running into the same problem here because we have full employment and there is a shortage of people in this area. The Department will, when it investigates this with the various nursing homes throughout the country, discover there is a shortage of staff. The level of care will not be the same unless the required number of staff is in place. It is a challenge that needs to be dealt with at an early date.