176 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Health the current rates of pay per hour for homehelp and part time homehelp in the Southern Health Board area; and the number of hours provided by homehelp each week.

The weekly salary scale applicable to full-time home help is currently in the range £169.71 — £180.33 per week. I am advised that full-time home helps are not employed by the Southern Health Board.

In relation to individuals engaged in providing home help on a part-time basis the position is that remuneration is based on the requirements and types of tasks undertaken and consequential time input. The current rate, when approximated to a rate per hour, is £1.40.

Some 22,000 hours of home help are provided each week in the Southern Health Board area.