Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health if his Department will issue contracts of employment to home help personnel throughout the country; if he will acknowledge the benefit of home help personnel to the Health Service Executive; if he will acknowledge that home help personnel assist with budget savings within the HSE; if he will further acknowledge that home help personnel are currently employed without any safeguards to their income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16754/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I fully appreciate the difference quality home care can make to individuals and their families. The HSE also recognise the importance of home help and home care in supporting older persons to live in their own homes and communities in accordance with Government policy. Home helps play a vital role in enabling people to continue to live at home and this policy will continue to be a key feature of health service delivery. The Government will make every effort, despite significant resource pressures, to protect front-line home support services for vulnerable older people and to facilitate the development of the home help service. On 29 June 2012, the Labour Court recommended that the HSE and SIPTU should engage in relation to matters concerning home help contracts. The Court issued a further recommendation on 12 December 2012 noting that management proposals to deal with the issues raised would be encompassed in a comprehensive delivery model for home help services. The parties have since met on a number of occasions and significant progress has been made. A further meeting is taking place today at the Labour Relations Commission.