Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Mar 1997

Vol. 476 No. 4

Written Answers. - Home Help Scheme.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

48 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the number of home helps per health board area in December 1996 on a part-time or full-time basis; and the results of his Department's discussions with chief executive officers of the health boards, particulary in relation to increasing rates of pay and pension entitlements. [7233/97]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The number of home helps per health board area, both part-time and full-time, at 31 December, 1996 is as follows.

Health Board	Number of Home Helps at 31 December, 1996
Part-time	Full-time
Eastern Health Board	3,912*	Nil
Midlands Health Board	644	14
Mid-Western Health Board	1,081	Nil
North-Eastern Health Board	1,266	Nil
North-Western Health Board	610	19
South-Eastern Health Board	1,114	5
Southern Health Board	2,399	Nil
Western Health Board	886	63
Total	11,912	101

*The EHB do not employ home helps directly. Instead home helps are employed by Voluntary Committees which are grant aided by the EHB.

The underlying philosophy governing the operation of the home help scheme is that it is a community based good neighbour scheme which would attract people primarily motivated by the desire to engage in community service. The service does not come within the realm of conventional employment. Income in respect of services provided was introduced more as a token payment or stipend. Such income does not come within the scope of the PAYE code. It should also be noted that income earned by the home help is not taken into account for the purposes of a means test where a home help, or the spouse of a home help is in receipt of a means-tested social welfare payment.

The issue of payment for part-time home helps has been raised on a number of occasions in the recent past. As the Deputy will be aware, the rate of remuneration varies considerably throughout the country. 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 on 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 as my Department has no involvement in the day-to-day management of the service. However, I would like to point out to the Deputy that my Department has allocated additional funding to three of the health boards this year for the purpose of increasing the rates of payment to home helps.

In response to previous questions raised in the House on this issue I stated that the Department, in consultation with the chief executive officers of the health boards, has under active 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 the health boards for the provision of this service.

A discussion document submitted by the chief executive officers group formed the basis for this examination of the home help services. Following on from these discussions, my Department decided to have an examination of the operation of the home help services carried out by an independent body which will advise on how the services can be developed in a cost effective way in tandem with the other community based services. Following receipt of tenders for this review, the contract has been awarded and the work will commence shortly. It is expected that the review will be completed before the end of the year.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

49 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 such rates. [7234/97]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The salary scale for full-time home helps with effect from 1 January, 1997 is in the range of £207.98-£220.19 per week. This is the same rate as applies in the health services 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 in each board are given in the following table 1. 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 on the level of home help services required and the level of payment to be made in respect of these services.

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 February 1997.

Health Board	Rate
Eastern Health Board	£2.00 - £4.00
Midlands Health Board	£3.00 - £4.00
Mid-Western Health Board	£2.74
North-Eastern Health Board	£1.45
North-Western Health Board	£2.72
South-Eastern Health Board	£2.00 - £3.50
Southern Health Board	£1.40
Western Health Board	£2.00