David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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669. To ask the Minister for Health if he has conducted any analysis of the cost of ensuring a living wage for health care assistants who are providing services in nursing homes to people whose care is funded under the nursing home support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22763/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In order to examine the significant workforce challenges in the home-support and nursing home sectors in Ireland, Minister Butler established the cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group in March 2022. Working closely with key stakeholders, the Advisory Group made 16 recommendations to address the challenges in frontline carer roles in the home support and long-term residential care sectors.

Their report was published in October 2022 with 16 recommendations across the areas of recruitment, pay and conditions of employment, barriers to employment, training and professional development, sectoral reform, and monitoring and implementation. Minister Butler has endorsed the Advisory Group’s recommendations.

Implementation of the recommendations will be overseen by a cross departmental Implementation Group, chaired by the Department of Health. To date there has not been an analysis of the cost of ensuring a living wage for health care assistants who are providing services in nursing homes. The Department is engaging with recommendation owners to define an implementation plan. The group is considering how to progress each recommendation. A detailed implementation plan will be published containing steps involved in delivering the recommendations in the coming months. It is envisaged that the implementation group will meet quarterly and publish progress reports thereafter.