Written answers

Tuesday, 25 April 2006

Department of Health and Children

Health Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Emmet StaggEmmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 278: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the Adjournment debate in Dáil Éireann on 27 April 2005 on home help cutbacks in County Kildare; her further views on the fact that it was stated that she was concerned at the reduction in the service and had requested the Health Service Executive to reconsider the situation in the context of the needs of the area; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the number of home help service hours in Kildare has fallen from 440,883 in 2003 to 322,957 in 2005 per the Health Service Executive despite an increase in the number of clients by 33% in the period; and if she will explain to the Houses of the Oireachtas the action she intends to take regarding the destruction of the service in County Kildare. [15555/06]

Photo of Seán PowerSeán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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While the figures provided by the HSE indicate a reduction in the number of home help hours between 2003 and 2005, the HSE has advised that the reduced service levels were due to the demands on the service beyond the available budget allocation.

As the Deputy is aware, additional funding of €150 million was allocated to services for older people and palliative care in the 2006 budget. This is a full year cost, €110 million of which is for 2006 with the remaining €40 million for 2007. This is the largest ever increase in funding for services for older people and the package has a strong focus on community based supports. Of this investment, an extra €33 million, full year cost, was allocated to the home help service. Of this total, a sum of €30 million is provided for 2006 and will deliver approximately 1.75 million additional home help hours. Therefore, I see no reason that the home help service should not show a significant improvement on a national scale.

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