Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Mar 1990

Vol. 396 No. 6

Written Answers. - Home Helps.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

183 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health the number of home helps operating in the Southern Health Board area; the amount per hour being paid for (a) full-time and (b) part-time home help; and if he will consider allocating extra funds in order that the scheme may be improved and expanded.

William Cotter

Ceist:

192 Mr. Cotter asked the Minister for Health the amount per hour paid to home helps in each of the health board areas; if he considers this to be adequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 and 192 together.

The weekly salary scale applicable to full time home helps with effect from 1 January, 1990 is as follows: £154.18 — £155.50 — £156.75 — £157.48 — £158.22 — £159.66 — £160.42 — £161.17 — £161.97 — £162.75 — £163.56 — £164.34.

In the case of part-time home helps employed by the health boards the following is the position:

Health Board	Part Time Rate
Mid-Western	£2.06 per hour
North-Eastern	£1.25 per hour
North-Western	£2.30 per hour
Western	.80p per hour
South-Eastern	There is no fixed hourly rate. Payment varies according to task.
Midland
Eastern
Southern

There are no full-time home helps employed by the Southern Health Board. The board employs about 1,400 part-time home helps.

The Government is committed to improving services for the elderly. An additional allocation of £5 million is being made available this year to develop home and community support for the elderly as recommended in the report of the working party on services for the elderlyThe Years Ahead: A Policy for the Elderly. Health boards will be informed of their share of the additional funds shortly. As a result of this funding, health boards will be able to make considerable progress towards achieving their priorities in services for the elderly this year.