Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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534. To ask the Minister for Health if he will increase funding for home-care services to at least €414 million in budget 2017 and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20848/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The HSE’s National Service Plan for 2016 provides for a target of

- 10.4 millionHome Help Hours to support about 47,800 people

- 15,450 Home Care Packages and

- 190 Intensive Home Care Packages for clients with complex needs, including 60 co-funded by Atlantic Philanthropies under the Irish National Dementia Strategy.

Home support services are being stretched by demands from more people, and for more hours at times outside of core hours. I am delighted that the Government has been able to respond to this demand by providing an extra €40m for home care in 2016. As a result, not only are we maintaining home care services at 2015 levels, but increasing them.

There is no doubt that home care needs more resources than are currently available, and for this reason the Programme for Government commits to increasing funding for Home Care Packages and Home Help year on year in the coming period. 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 service areas to achieve the best possible outcomes for the greatest number of service users and prioritise areas of greatest need. I am confident that with continued economic growth, we will be able to further expand services to older people based on effective use of existing resources and additional funding.