Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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218. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 702 of 16 April 2013 (details supplied) his views on the matter. [21965/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE recognises 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. The 2013 National Service Plan includes the provision of 10.3 million hours of home help service, the same level as planned for in 2012. The number of hours worked by home helps varies according to service needs, given that the home help service requires a unique set of arrangements to achieve the level of flexibility required. On 29 June 2012, the Labour Court recommended that the HSE and SIPTU should engage in relation to matters concerning the contracts of home helps. Subsequently, on 16th October 2012, it identified mechanisms to define specified hours and protocols to be followed where specified hours are not met as issues to be addressed. At a further hearing on 12th December 2012, it noted that management proposals to deal with these issues would be encompassed in a comprehensive delivery model for home help services.

The parties subsequently met on a number of occasions under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission, most recently on 30th April. While significant progress was made on a range of contractual matters including those identified by the Labour Court, the Commission is to refer a number of outstanding issues to the Labour Court.