Vol. 496 No. 3
298 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the long waiting list for home help services in some parts of Dublin; if he will make special budgets available for a home help waiting list initiative similar to that taken for elective surgery in view of the very low cost of home help compared to alternative support outside of the community setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22844/98]
The important role played by home helps in the care of older people is widely recognised and there is growing demand for the home help service to be better organised and developed. In this regard, my Department commissioned an examination of the future organisation of the home help service in Ireland by the policy research centre of the National College of Ireland under the direction of the National Council on Ageing and Older People. It is expected that this report will be submitted to me and published shortly. It is my intention that the recommendations of the report will be fully considered with a view to early implementation. The issue of funding for the service will be considered in the context of the recommendations of the report and the availability of resources. The difficulties referred to by the Deputy in the Eastern Health Board area will be examined as part of this process.
