Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Oct 1996

Vol. 470 No. 3

Written Answers. - Home Help Service.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

74 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the number of home helps per health board area employed as of September 1996 on a part-time or full-time basis; the results of his Department's discussions with chief executive officers of the health boards, particularly in relation to increasing rates of pay and equality of pay rates between the respective health board areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18864/96]

Séamus Hughes

Question:

75 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the hourly rates of pay paid to home helps by health boards; and the variations, if any, in the rates paid. [18865/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 75 together.

The salary scale for full-time home helps with effect from 1 October 1996 is in the range of £205.92 — £218.01 per week. This is the same rate as applies in the health services to Group 1 non-officer grades. This scale applies throughout the country and is increased from time to time in accordance with increases granted to non-nursing personnel.

The latest available details of the rate of gratuities applying to part-time home helps and the numbers in each board are given in Table 1 overleaf. With regard to persons engaged in the home help service on a part-time basis, the position is that the rate of remuneration varies considerably throughout the country. In particular in the Eastern Health Board area, the service is provided wholly by voluntary groups which accounts for the wide variation within the area. In all boards the rates are determined by the particular requirements and the type of task undertaken in individual cases. It is a matter for each health board to decide the level of home help services required and the level of payment to be made in respect of these services. The chief executive officer of each board is in the best position to decide on these issues and my Department has no involvement in the day to day management of this service. It should be noted that payments made to part-time home helps do not come within the scope of the PAYE system. Neither is such income taken into account for the purposes of a means test where a part-time home help (or the spouse of a part-time home help) is in receipt of a means tested social welfare payment.

In response to previous questions in this House I stated that my Department, in consultation with the chief executive officers of the health boards, has under consideration a number of aspects of the home help scheme, including the overall organisation of the service and the diversity of arrangements which exist within health boards for the provision of this service.

A discussion document submitted by the chief executive officers formed the basis for this examination. Following on from these discussions, my Department has decided to have an examination of the operation of the home help service carried our by an independent body which will advise on how the service can be developed in a cost effective way in tandem with the other services supporting the dependent elderly and their carers at home. Tenders for this review have been invited and it is expected that the review should be completed in three to four months.

Table 1: Details of the Numbers of Full-time and Part-time Home Helps in Each Health Board and the Rate of Gratuity For Part-timers at September 1996

Health Board	Number of Home Helps	Rate
Full-Time	Part-time
			£
EHB	0	3,948*	2.00-4.00
MHB	13	831*	3.00-4.00
MWHB	0	1,122	2.74
NEHB	0	1,462	1.45
NWHB	19	610	2.70
SEHB	4	1,177	2.00
SHB	0	2,415	1.40
WHB	66	857	2.00
Total	102	12,422

*The reference period for this data is December 1995.