Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a review of funding from her Department of the home help services for the elderly is under way or planned, to ensure that adequate funding is available to deliver the level of services required and deserved for the elderly in communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7468/08]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The Home Help service nationally is a well established and successful component of this Government's strategy to provide a range of services to enable older people to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. While the service is subject to on-going monitoring by my Department and the Health Service Executive, no specific review of funding is planned or underway.

In this context, and in order to address increasing demands in the specific area of Home Helps in recent years, approximately €56 million additional funding has been provided for the service over the three years 2006-8 inclusive. This has enabled the provision of 11.3 million Home Help hours by the Health Service Executive in 2006 and 11.7 million hours in 2007.

Budget 2008 provided significant additional current funding of €22 million to cover a range of new community-based initiatives for Older People. This includes a sum of €5 million for this year towards 200,000 extra Home Help hours. This will bring the expected number of Home Help hours nationally to some 11.98 million in 2008.

Bearing in mind all the circumstances, I am satisfied that the prioritised funding I have made available this year will assist the HSE in meeting increasing demands on its Home Help service. I will, of course, in conjunction with the HSE continue to monitor the service to ensure that provision is maximised across the country.