Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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135. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he will take to regulate the home help sector, which has expanded in the private sector due to the Health Service Executive recruitment embargo, and whereby many, mainly women workers, are being grossly exploited on low wages, in some instances not getting statutory entitlements, and whereby many older citizens who require assistance are not getting sufficient hours to meet their needs. [35982/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Home help and home care services are delivered not only by the HSE but also by other providers, the staff of which are not public servants, and whose pay and conditions are not within my Department's remit.

With regard to staff directly employed by the HSE to provide such services, in 2012 the Labour Court issued a binding recommendation to the HSE, SIPTU and IMPACT stipulating that Home Helps employed by the HSE 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 1st October 2011 and 31st March 2012 per week in new contracts; and that all home helps be guaranteed a minimum of 7 hours work per week. It also noted Management’s commitment to redirecting hours provided by private providers to directly employed home helps as these hours became available.

The Government for National Recovery, 2011-2016 commits to developing and implementing national standards for home support services, which will be subject to HIQA inspection. Primary legislation and resources will be required for the introduction of a statutory regulation system for home care services. In the meantime, the HSE is already progressing a range of measures to ensure that home care services, provided either directly by the HSE, or through external providers with HSE funding, are provided to a standard that meets the needs of those in receipt of such services.