Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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859. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of delivering the committed to home support service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39528/22]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits the government to “increase homecare hours and introduce a Statutory Homecare Scheme.”

The overall budget for home support this year is in excess of €670 million. This included the additional funding of €150 millionI secured in Budget 2021 to progress the development of a reformed model of service delivery to underpin the statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support services and to provide 5 millionadditional hours of home support.

In 2022, our aim is to provide 23.67 million hours of home support which is more than 25% above the 2020 National Service Plan target.

Work is ongoing to progress the development of the new home support scheme within the broader context of the ongoing reform of our health and social care system, as envisaged in the Sláintecare Report. The scheme will provide equitable access to high-quality services based on a person’s assessed care-needs. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) undertook a programme of work on behalf of the Department on the potential demand for, and cost of, home support which culminated in two reports.

This research will form an important part of the evidence base for the development of a sustainable funding model for home support services in the context of our ageing population.

An internal consultation process on a range of potential funding options is underway. Targeted external consultation will follow in due course.