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Dail Éireann — 2026-03-05
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Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (SF), Donegal

I will continue to monitor this closely because it is clear that in recent years there has been an agenda at senior level in the HSE for a sneaking privatisation of the service in Donegal. In a response to a parliamentary question, it was confirmed that the use of private providers increased from 13% to 19% in one year. I am clear that recruitment through the HSE for home care assistants is being held back by policies there. By its own admission, it is looking to bring in private providers to fill the gap. That is wrong. There is a culture of community focus in Donegal and trying to keep people in their homes as much as we can and not have them in institutions. That helps the hospital. I ask the Minister of State speak to the managers to get an absolute assurance to stop playing games with privatisation. Whatever about the response they have given him, it is not borne out by the facts on ground I am seeing.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-05