Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Health if Health Service Executive home help employees in rural areas will be provided with contracts that reflect the current level of hours they are providing and not the 27 hour contracts that they have been offered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11408/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I, and the Government, 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.

In September 2013 the Labour Court issued a binding recommendation to the HSE, SIPTU and IMPACT stipulating that Home Helps receive a guaranteed minimum number of working hours per week. The recommendation provided for Home Helps being guaranteed 80% of the hours they worked in the period between 1 October 2011 and 31 March 2012 per week in new contracts. The HSE National Service Plan 2014 states that the Home Help agreement will be implemented across each Integrated Service Area in line with the Labour Court recommendation. Implementation of the recommendation will support the development of the Home Help Service in the interests of clients and provide security of employment for Home Helps.

As the specific issue raised by the Deputy is a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be forwarded to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.