Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator again for acknowledging the fact that the Government is in the process of developing a home care package in a different way. There was €140 million added to the overall budget this year, which raised it to €446 million. That is quite a substantial amount of funding but we all know that people are living longer and life expectancy is longer. As we all know, over the coming years there will be an increase in the population over 65 years of age, so we need to work actively together to provide a high-quality and flexible service that not only best meets the needs of individual clients but also reduces pressure on the health system elsewhere. The social care services, including home care, day care and respite, are an important component in enabling people to remain at home, as the Senator has said, and I can adhere to that myself. They also provide valuable support to carers.

We are aiming to improve the home care support service so that people can remain living with confidence, dignity and, above all, in their community with security. While existing services are delivering crucial supports throughout the country, it is recognised that home care supports need to be assured to better meet the changing needs of our citizens. I am conscious of the fact that I was replying to the Senator from a statement that has been given to me, but every day I receive calls about people's home care packages being delayed, or calls even just about home care hours. We will work together to develop the engagement and the details process to deliver a new stand-alone statutory system for the financing and regulation of home care services. This system is a key action under the Sláintecare implementation strategy, along with improving the development supports in the communities.

I will bring the Senator's concerns back to the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly. We all know that the best place to keep people is in their communities and homes, and we should be doing everything we can in that regard. There has been a substantial increase in funding, but I have mentioned that we are dealing with an older population and the numbers continue to build and increase for long-term care packages and home care packages.