Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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251. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether the rate of €28.50 per hour that has reportedly been offered for homecare services under a prospective new authorisation scheme is sufficient to implement all of the recommendations of the cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group; if the HSE had sought a higher hourly rate from his Department; if so, the reason this was not accepted by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23623/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Government is committed to promoting care in the community for older people so that they can continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible. Home support is an increasingly important part of the supports we offer to older people and will continue to increase in importance into the future, as our ageing population grows. 

The Home Support Service is funded by Government to deliver a volume of service each year as approved in the HSE National Service Plan. It is a non-statutory service and access to the current service is based on assessment of the person’s care needs by the HSE, having regard to the available resources and competing demands for services. Home Support services are provided by both directly employed Healthcare Support Assistants and Approved Providers with service arrangements with the HSE through the tender. 

The process of developing the new tender is at an advanced stage. Officials in the Department of Health are engaging at a senior level with the HSE and the HSE has ongoing engagements with home care providers to progress the new tender. No final decisions on the tender content have been reached. As a strict communication protocol applies in all phases of the procurement process it is not possible to discuss specific funding proposals or rates at this time.