Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason the Government is funding private companies to provide a home help service when it will not give this funding to the home help service which is already under-resourced in the Health Service Executive. [14691/06]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 193: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her plans to privatise the home help service, contracts and hours provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14692/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to answer Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together.

Additional funding of €150 million was allocated to services for older people-palliative care in the 2006 budget. Of this, an extra €33 million was allocated to the home help service, €30 million of which is provided for 2006 and will deliver 1.75 million home help hours. A total of €55 million was also allocated to home care packages —€30 million for 2006 and a further €25 million for 2007, with an additional 2,000 packages to be delivered by the end of this year.

Home care, including the home help service, is delivered through the HSE in partnership with a range of providers, including the Health Service Executive itself, voluntary groups and the private sector. This has long since been a policy on home care and there are no plans to privatise the home help service or give priority to private companies over public or other home care providers. The most important factor in delivering home care and home help is not who provides the service, but that an appropriate level of service is delivered in as flexible a manner as possible which is highly responsive to the real needs of the individual. There is no reason private providers should not work in partnership with the HSE to this end, as they have been doing in the past and will continue to do.

Allocation of funding between providers is 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 issue a reply to the Deputy with relevant information in order to demonstrate that there are already examples of service providers from the voluntary and private sectors delivering home care.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason no reply has issued from the Health Service Executive to a question (details supplied) placed several weeks ago; and when this position will be filled. [14693/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I have been advised by the Health Service Executive that a response to the Deputy's question was issued on 20 April.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of people employed by the Health Service Executive as home help providers, on a county basis for each of the past five years; the estimated costs involved for each year; and the number of home help recipients. [14694/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which 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.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 196: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the funding which has been provided by her Department or the Health Service Executive for private companies which provide home help or home care package services; if so, the companies involved and the amounts provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14695/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which 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.