Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of respite beds that have been or are about to be closed throughout the country arising from budget constraints; the number of patients who will be affected by these cuts; her plans to reopen this service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14476/08]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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Arising from Budget 2008, a full year package of €22m has been allocated for new services in the area of older people. This therefore gives a total of over €422m for new services for older people over the last three years. These measures have been designed to both enhance existing services that the Government had already put in place, and also to widen the range of services available to older people.

In this context, over €16m has been provided in the last three years for new Day/Respite Care services. The recent Budget will allow an additional 1,245 clients nationally to avail of new Respite places and brings the total projected Day Care provision by the Health Service Executive to around 21,300 places by the end of this year.

The HSE has committed through its National Service Plan 2008 to deliver services within its Vote provided by the Oireachtas. It will manage the provision of respite care beds within this context and also recognising the priority the Government and the Executive have given to services for older people.

There is no doubt that demand can at times exceed service resources and that this problem can manifest itself in particular at local level. It is a matter for the Executive to manage service delivery, both nationally and locally, within its budget and in line with overall health policy priorities. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the HSE to arrange to have the matter investigated in detail and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.