Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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187. To ask the Minister for Health if the recently announced freeze on new home care packages for the elderly affect those supported by home care packages who need increased hours of home care support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15246/16]

Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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188. To ask the Minister for Health when the recently announced freeze on new home care packages for the elderly will be lifted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15247/16]

Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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189. To ask the Minister for Health if he considered the impact on the independence of the elderly prior to the recent decision to freeze new home care packages for the elderly; the rationale for continuing the freeze given this impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15248/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 to 189, inclusive, together.

In 2016, the Health Service Executive has a core provision of €324m for home support. An additional €20m has been allocated, on a once-off basis, to maintain the increase in service levels during 2015 to 10.4 million home help hours, 15,450 home care packages, 130 intensive home care packages and 313 transitional care beds.

There has been no reduction in 2016 of the resources available for the provision of home care services. The HSE has advised that home supports will be provided in accordance with the Service Plan and is profiling its activity to best reflect the pattern of demand that is expected to arise across the course of the year. The HSE’s objective for Q1 2016, in line with the Winter Planning for ED Taskforce, was to target home care to have as much impact as possible on delayed discharges.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to increasing funding for home care packages and home help year on year. I am pleased to say that yesterday’s announcement, by my colleague the Minister for Health, of the Government’s approval of a revised estimate for the Department of Health of €500m will include increased resources for home care services.