Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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589. To ask the Minister for Health his plans for establishing a commission on care as per the commitment in the Programme for Government; the process and timeline involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43265/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In June 2020, the Programme for Government, mindful of the particular impact of COVID-19 on older people, especially those who live on their own and people living in nursing homes, set out a commitment to establish a commission to examine care for older people.

While preliminary scoping work on the establishment of a commission on care has commenced in the Department of Health, the ongoing priority focus in 2021 is ensuring the continued implementation of the recommendations of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel. Many of the short and medium term recommendations have already been implemented.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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590. To ask the Minister for Health the implementation plan for funding the carer’s guarantee funding before the end of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43266/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to delivering a ‘Carers Guarantee’ proposal that will provide a core basket of services to carers across the country, regardless of where they live. This commitment is consistent with the National Carers' Strategy, which seeks to support family carers to care with confidence through the provision of adequate information, training, services and supports. In line with this commitment, and as a first step towards implementing the Carers’ Guarantee, €2 million has been allocated in Budget 2021 to provide a more standard package of supports to family carers in every region, in tandem with the community and voluntary sector. Discussions are underway between my Department and the HSE to determine how this funding will be allocated and to ensure measures introduced will work towards addressing geographical inequity of access to supports.