Written Answers. - Home Help Service.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:
114
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if he will give details of the current hourly rate of pay earned by home helps in each of the health boards; the cost of increasing this hourly rate to £5 per hour; and whether he has made provision in the Estimates for 1998 recently agreed at Cabinet to provide for an increase in the payment to home helps.
[19809/97]
The rate of payment of part-time home helps varies considerably and is determined by the 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 rates of pay for part-time home helps is as follows:
|
Health Board
|
Current Average Hourly Rate
|
|
£
|
|
Eastern Health Board
|
4.00
|
|
Midland Health Board
|
3.50
|
|
Mid-Western Health Board
|
2.73
|
|
North-Eastern Health Board
|
2.00
|
|
North-Western Health Board
|
3.06
|
|
South-Eastern Health Board
|
2.00
|
|
Southern Health Board
|
1.40¹
|
|
Western Health Board
|
2.20
|
¹ This rate is due to be increased on phased basis w.e.f. 1 July 1997 as part of a proposal by the SHB which is awaiting agreement by the Union.
I emphasise that the underlying philosophy governing the operation of the home help scheme is that it is a community based good neighbour scheme which would attract volunteers 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 is a payment which is not intended to compensate fully for the nature of the task undertaken. Such income does not come within the scope of the PAYE code and 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.
This issue has been raised on many occasions in the House. My Department, in consultation with the chief executive officers of the health boards, is considering 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. My Department has arranged to have an examination of the operation of the home help services carried out by an independent body, under the supervision of the National Council on Ageing and Older People, which will advise on how the services can be developed in a cost effective way in tandem with the other community based services. Work has commenced on this project and will be completed as quickly as possible.
When the results of this examination are made available to me, I will be in a better position to consider how best improvements may be brought about in the overall organisation and development of the home help service. Related issues such as rates for home helps will be considered as part of this process. My Department has allocated additional funding to three boards in 1997 for the purposes of increasing rates of pay to home helps. It is my intention to facilitate the improvement of the provision of the home help service, including pay rates, on a phased basis as resources permit.
The application of the increase outlined by the Deputy would have a very significant impact on the costs of the service as currently provided, would have implications for the operation of the service and would have to be considered in the overall context of the care of older people. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the review of the home help service currently being undertaken; or to make provision for increases of this order in the 1998 Estimates. I have sought increased funding in relation to the general provision of care for older people, through a variety of services and I expect that some of the additional funding will be directed to the home help service.
