The programme for Government contains a lot of talk on home care and home help packages. Is the Tánaiste aware that in some parts of the State no extra home help hours have been allocated for the past two months? The north Cork and the Duhallow regions in particular are waiting on a home help organiser within the region. No further home help hours have been allocated since the middle of July.

There are patients who have been discharged from hospital and others who are awaiting discharge notices and trying to return to their own communities and families for whom no home help has been allocated. It is a disgrace. Is the Tánaiste aware of the crisis within this sector?

I reiterate my colleague's comments. Today, I received a reply to a parliamentary question on the number of people in Waterford and south Kilkenny waiting on home help packages. That number is 124. We are facing into winter, we are concerned about our older generation and the number of people on trolleys is a major issue. If home care packages are not in place to provide step-down facilities for people coming out of acute beds, the issue will grow much worse before we see the winter surge.

A large number of people are waiting in my constituency of Dublin Fingal. I have corresponded and spoken with the Minister for Health on this matter numerous times. The doctors have said that people need to be allocated home care hours and there are workers in the area who are willing and able to do the work, yet funding cannot be released. I have spoken to one of the organisers. She told me that there would not be enough funding until new funds were released next year. That is a long time to wait for people who are stuck in inappropriate situations or cannot leave hospital even though they would be fit and well enough to return home with just a little help.

I am aware of many issues with home help in my constituency. There are very few hours for elderly couples who are trying to take care of each other in Laois and Offaly. It has been an ongoing issue for a considerable time. Provision needs to be made in the upcoming budget. This situation has gone on for too long. We must ensure that our elderly people are taken care of and be cognisant of the fact that they are saving the State millions of euro by doing a great job as carers. What is happening is an insult to these people.

I will not repeat everything, but my constituency has the same problem. I have a case of a 91 year old man whose wife is in her late 80s. He was allocated home help hours last May but still has not had them activated. The excuse we are being given by the HSE is that it does not have the staff or resources to do it even though his need has been recognised. This is not on.

Does Deputy Breathnach wish to contribute on the same matter?

No.

It is clearly an issue of real concern. I have experienced it in my constituency too. This is something that needs to be factored into the HSE service plan in terms of resources, both financial and human. I suggest that this is an obvious question to tease out with the Minister for Health when he takes Question Time.