Before I ask my question, I extend our sympathy to the family of the former Deputy, Seymour Crawford, who I understand is being laid to rest today. I offer sympathy to the Taoiseach and his party colleagues. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

This morning, Care Alliance Ireland published a report on the provision and shortcomings of public provision of home care. Its findings are stark and they highlight a shocking reality facing thousands of our most vulnerable citizens in need of care and support.

The report finds that more than 6,000 people are on waiting lists for home care packages, a finding that was also communicated to my party colleague, An Teachta O'Reilly, in which the HSE acknowledged to her that the number of people waiting for home-care support stands at 6,118. The report states that people are waiting for up to two years in some cases for home care support and that the average waiting time in one HSE area is six to nine months.

The report also estimates that there is an 18% gap across the board between the number of care hours being provided and those required. In one HSE area only 60% of hours requested are being provided. The figures are absolutely shocking. They are shocking because services have been cut and they remain underfunded.

The report finds that there was a reduction in services between 2009 and 2012 and, most acutely, between 2011 and 2012, under a Fine Gael and Labour Party Government when there was a reduction of 1.5 million home care hours.

Despite the service remaining underfunded, no additional resources were allocated for home care supports in next year's budget. That illustrates a complete disregard for the value of home care. As the Taoiseach will be aware, it is one of the most important services provided within the public system. Care delivered in the home is the preferred form of care for most people and their families, particularly older people. The vast majority of older citizens want to live independently and comfortably in their own home for as long as possible. Home care packages are also vital for many with a disability or in medical need.

Providing these packages makes absolute sense socially, but also economically. It saves the State money and frees up resources. Failure to provide adequate care through these packages leaves people stuck in hospitals or forced into residential facilities when they could return home. This has a knock-on effect, contributing to the trolley and waiting list crises in our hospitals as beds are occupied by those who want to, and who are ready to, return home but who are prevented from doing so.

The HSE has said home support services must be delivered within the funding available. The logical solution is to make more funding available. Will the Taoiseach revisit his allocation of funding to provide for additional home care packages next year? Will he, in line with the report's recommendations, move quickly to delivering a fairer, better home care support service?

I thank the Deputy for her words of condolence to the family, friends, constituents and party of Seymour Crawford, who is being buried this afternoon in Monaghan. I had the opportunity to visit the house yesterday. Many of us served with Seymour for a period. He truly was a wonderful public representative, a gentle giant and a good friend to many of us. There will be an opportunity at a later date to pay tribute to him in a more substantial way.

With regard to home care, the Government, HSE and health policy very much favour it. It enables older people, but not just older people, to get out of hospital much quicker. In many cases, good home care means they never have to go to hospital at all. It also means people who need it, particularly elderly citizens, are able to spend much more time in their homes before they have to go into long-term residential care.

The Deputy referred to 2011 and 2012. I have no doubt she is correct in what she said in that regard but, of course, it is not 2011 or 2012; it is now 2018. There has been a considerable increase in resources and funding for home care during the past three years. In 2015, for example, the budget for home care was €306 million. This year it is €420 million, representing an increase of more than 30% in the past three years alone. An additional €1 billion will be provided for health services next year. That has not yet been allocated. I am certain some of it will be allocated for extra home help and home care packages. We need to make sure, however, that the €1 billion gets to the patients. We need to come together as a House and make sure it does not get lost in red tape and in meeting pay demands and other demands. We must make sure it goes to the patients and is allocated for extra home help and home care packages, new medicines, new services and new equipment. The big challenge we face collectively in this House over the next couple of months is making sure the €1 billion, or as much of it as possible, gets to the patients, which means better care for them, including extra home help and extra home care packages.

In 2018, the HSE service plan provided for 17 million home help hours. This allocation provided home help to 50,500 people. We acknowledge absolutely that there will be a need for additional resources next year; that is planned. We acknowledge that there are inconsistencies in waiting times from one region to the next. In some places, the waiting time is as little as 24 days while, in others, it is six to nine months, on average. It is, of course, a policy dilemma. When one allows for regional autonomy, there will be regional variation, but we need to bear that in mind.

In line with the Sláintecare plan and the Sláintecare implementation strategy, we plan to develop a statutory scheme for home care, very much using the fair deal model. People can now apply to the scheme for long-term care. If they qualify for it, they will get long-term care in approximately four weeks but, because we do not have a statutory scheme of that kind for home care, some people may get home care within 24 days while others may have to wait for six to nine months. We believe we now need to establish a statutory scheme for home care that is not the same as the fair deal scheme but that works on that model, which has proven to be a success.

Before the Deputy responds, I wish to say ar lámh deis Dé atá anam Seymour Crawford.

All of us are agreed on the necessity of home care packages, not only their social necessity but also their economic common sense. That is not a matter of controversy. The report is very clear and the figures are not wrong. The 1.5 million hours cut from the system have not been fully replaced and there is a 16% deficit in the hours required. The report also proposes how that might be funded, saying that somewhere north of an additional €100 million must be dedicated to the service. Will the Taoiseach do that? I am sure he is familiar with this through his constituency work. I have constituents who have a home care package that amounts to half an hour per day. This is for people who are sick or have serious disabilities. One would barely have one's coat off and the kettle switched on in half an hour. It is a derisory allocation.

The system has been starved of resources and the past damage has been done. Now, the repair work must start. Rather than make vague assertions, will the Taoiseach dedicate the resources necessary to meet and close that 16% gap in service provision?

The HSE service plan for 2019 is only currently being drafted and is not finalised. As Head of the Government, I want to ensure that the extra €1 billion of taxpayers' money we are putting into the health service next year, or at least as much of it as possible, gets to the patients. That means additional home care packages, new medicine, new equipment and new buildings. I would welcome Sinn Féin's ideas as to how that €1 billion should be broken down and spent. It is not good enough for a serious Opposition party, certainly not one that wishes to be in government, to come here every week demanding more funding for all forms of health care and it all adding up to €2 billion or €3 billion. There is only so much that can be dedicated to the health service next year. There is an extra €1 billion, which is a big increase. I hope the Deputy shares my desire that priority be given to patients and that the money goes to patient care and additionality, not to paying more for the same. More of the same is not the solution for our health service. There has been an increase in spending on home care from €306 million in 2015 to €420 million, a massive increase of €120 million in three years. We are not seeing the results of that for patients. That is why we need a new system and a new way of providing home care. We believe a statutory scheme is the way to go, in line with Sláintecare, not just more of the same.