I will ask about home support services, which are raised in my constituency office time and again by families across Cavan and Monaghan. Many people who have been approved for home support hours are still experiencing delays in receiving the care they have been assessed as needing. This creates understandable worry for older people who wish to remain living independently at home and places additional pressure on family members who often step in to fill the gap. Many people are currently waiting for approved home support hours to be delivered.

I would welcome an update on the measures being taken to recruit and retain home support workers, particularly in rural areas, where staff challenges can be more acute. This issue has persisted for a number of years in Cavan and Monaghan, and in the country as a whole. Many families would appreciate reassurances that progress was being made to improve access to these vital services. The home support service can help with everyday tasks such as dressing, undressing and getting in and out of bed.

What is the Government doing to make sure that staff and resources are in place to allow people who want to stay in their homes do so in Cavan and Monaghan?

I thank Deputy Maxwell. This is an important point for his constituents in Cavan-Monaghan. By way of update, 302 people were on waiting lists for home support at the end of May in Cavan-Monaghan, including 33 new applicants and 269 people already receiving support who require additional hours.

Specifically on the point the Deputy raised, I met the HSE as recently as yesterday. One of the key areas I focused on was Cavan-Monaghan. The HSE gave me an assurance. The last recruitment campaign of home support workers was in April. It has interviews scheduled for tomorrow, 16 July and Friday, 17 July, of 17 candidates to replace ten whole-time equivalents. Furthermore, ten new staff commenced in January 2026. The recruitment of additional staff is under way, with ten staff already in place since January. We want to get a further ten staff in place as quickly as possible and 17 candidates will be interviewed tomorrow and the day after for those posts.