Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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947. To ask the Minister for Health the amount the funding for home care packages and home help will be increased every year, as per the programme for Government; the cost of doing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10676/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Home Help service is provided to assist older people to live independently in their own homes. The service is focused primarily on providing a range of personal care supports, following an individual assessment of needs. The HSE also provides enhanced home care services through the Home Care Packages (HCP) scheme for persons whose needs cannot be met by the mainstream Home Help service due to the extent of their assessed needs and/or the times and days that services are required. With a Budget of €324 million in 2016 the HSE’s projected target, set out in its National Service Plan, is to deliver:

-10.4 million Home Help Hours to about 47,800 people at any one time

- 15,450 people will be in receipt of a HCP at any one time

- 130 Intensive HCPs for clients with complex needs (A further 60 clients with dementia will be supported by funding provided by Atlantic Philanthropies).

The Programme for Government commits to increasing funding for Home Care Packages and Home Help every year. The planning and management of future health expenditure will be considered as part of the annual estimates and budgetary process which seeks to balance available funding across all of the various service areas to achieve the best possible outcomes for the greatest number of service users and prioritise areas of greatest need.