Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate what the Minister of State said about the figure of €446 million and the 50,000 people who are benefiting from it. However, the population is getting older and people have more complex health issues that require more care. Will the Minister of State give a commitment that vulnerable persons for whom home care is sanctioned will be allocated hours and receive them within a dedicated timeframe, be it three or six months? Can we put something down in that regard?

I know that it is not HSE policy to penalise carers' families when they complain, but the reality is that they are afraid to complain because they have been threatened with this. It is not HSE policy, but it is the reality. I implore the Minister of State to examine the matter in further detail. I can give him more details after this debate, if he wishes. The issue is that it is a bullying tactic being used by some who work in the HSE. I would hate the most vulnerable persons in our society to be disenfranchised if that is the case.