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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Jun 1999

Vol. 506 No. 2

Written Answers. - Home Help Service.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

237 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of money payable nationally for the home help system; his views on whether adequate funding is available for this very essential service; the rate per hour formerly payable and the new rate payable; and the additional funding that has been provided to cover the increase in hourly payments. [14948/99]

Expenditure by the health boards on the home help service in the current year is estimated at £25 million. This includes an additional sum of £1.5 million which I made available in 1999 to extend the coverage of the service, providing more hours, as well as improving training courses for home helps and an additional £3 million made available to health boards to bring the minimum rate of payment for all home helps up to £3 per hour from 1 April 1999.

I accept the need for further investment in the home help service, to increase the coverage of the service and to bring the hourly rate up to the level of the proposed national minimum wage. I will be pursuing this in the context of the estimates for 2000.

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