asked the Minister for Health if he will increase the allowances payable to people who are employed on home help duties; and if he is aware that in many cases these duties are carried out at great inconvenience to and with great dedication by such people.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Home Help.
20.
The rates of pay of home helps employed by health boards on a wholetime basis were rationalised with effect from 7 March 1981 under the terms of an agreement negotiated through the Local Government Staff Negotiations Board. The agreement provided for the introduction of standarised pay scales to be reviewed from time to time in the light of general wage movements in accordance with standard practice. The rates were last adjusted on 1 March 1982 and I do not consider it necessary to depart from the agreed procedures.
The position with regard to part-time home helps in that rates of pay are fixed at local level by reference to a range of factors including the nature and complexity of the work, the amount of time and effort involved, the availability of suitable persons to act as home helps and prevailing wage rates in comparable employment. The rates of pay are reviewed from time to time in the light of these factors and general wage movements. I am satisfied that this arrangements provides health boards and voluntary organisations with the necessary flexibility to respond effectively to individual cases of need.
I am fully aware of the dedication and personal commitment of all those involved in the home help service. I have already announced that additional funds have been made available to health boards to maintain the service at the levels which obtained in 1981. It is my intention to improve all aspects of service as available resources permit.
Is the Minister aware of representations from the representative body on the need for improvements in salaries and conditions? Does he agree that in many cases criticism by people in this field has been based on the reasonable assumption that if people can be looked after in the community they will not have to be incarcerated in institutions and that it is therefore desirable that encouragement would be given to people to look after patients in their localities?
I agree that the home help service is particularly valuable.
It is good value for money.
It is a development of community based services and that is why, from the additional funds I got in the budget, I restored the level of the funds which had been cut back fairly drastically.