Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 190: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the range of home care packages available for elderly people; the amounts available in the Health Service Executive south western area; if there is a differentiation in the grants available; if so, the reason therefor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4540/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Home care packages deliver a wide range of services and have been piloted successfully in several regions in recent years. They include various disciplines and will vary according to the care needs of the person so that, for example, there might be a greater emphasis in some packages on home care assistants while other packages may require a greater level of therapy and nursing. Approximately 1,100 home care packages are provided to people at present. An additional €55 million has been allocated to this initiative, €35 million of which relates to 2006, so that by the end of 2006 a total of 2,000 additional home care packages will have been provided. There will be a well-funded and viable alternative to long-term residential care in the form of, among other supports, home care packages.

As the Deputy will be aware, home helps are also an essential part of supporting older people at home and thereby delaying or preventing admission to long stay residential care. They also help to keep people out of acute hospitals or help their early discharge from hospitals and can also form part of home care packages. There is a continuing demand for home helps because of the increased number of older people. An additional €33 million full year cost is now being allocated for this programme, €30 million of which will be for 2006. The additional funding of €30 million will provide 1.75 million more home help hours.

The Deputy's question also relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which in any particular HSE region are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, the Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.