John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 229: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will consider the introduction of a home subvention scheme to empower older persons to buy in services they feel they need from the source they prefer; the likely annual cost of such a scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12142/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Service Executive has been piloting home care grant schemes in a number of areas. These schemes have been targeted at supporting older people living in the community as an alternative to long-term residential care and at older people who are being discharged from the acute hospital system. In the HSE eastern regional area, people have been discharged from acute hospitals under the Slán Abhaile and Home First pilot projects. In the HSE southern area, a similar project, Curam, has been piloted.

My Department has been working with the HSE to develop a national home care grant scheme. This is in keeping with a key recommendation in the O'Shea report on the nursing home subvention scheme which recommended that the health services develop a home based subvention scheme for older people as an alternative to long-term residential care. A draft of the scheme is currently being finalised by the HSE. Funding of €2 million has been allocated to the HSE in 2005 to introduce the scheme. In addition, funding of €113.75 million was allocated in 2004 for the home help service to support older people living in the community, with this funding being increased to €118.75 million in 2005.

As part of the Tánaiste's ten point plan to relieve ongoing pressure on acute hospital beds and accident and emergency services, it is proposed that the home care package scheme be expanded to support 500 additional older people who have been discharged from the acute hospital sector to their own home.