Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-16
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Teresa Costello (FF), Agricultural Panel

I welcome and support this Bill. It is simple in that it is just making sure that people who receive care in their own homes can be confident that the care they receive is safe, of high quality and properly regulated. Every day across Ireland thousands of older people and people with disabilities rely on their home care support services. These services help people with everyday tasks such as getting dressed, preparing meals and personal care, enabling them to remain independent in their own homes. For so many families home support is an essential service that allows their loved ones to remain in familiar surroundings and maintain their independence.
My dad had dementia prior to passing and we availed of home care supports. The carers were just amazing. It was not always easy for them. Their job is difficult and what the carers who come into family homes go through is not highlighted enough. A patient can be having a really bad day and they can be abusive to their carers. They can be difficult and decide they do not like the carer for no reason but the carers just continue to show up. The carers who came to our family home, Ashley and Fernanda, were so good to my mam as well and that made my dad's last time on earth so much easier. The respect I have for carers is enormous.
Regulation is so important. We struck gold with our carers but regulation will ensure that all people have a similar experience. Nursing homes and other health services are regulated and inspected but home support services have not had that same level of oversight, so standards can vary from one provider to another. Regulation means that the providers must meet national standards and be accountable for the quality of care they provide. The Bill makes it an offence for a provider to operate without registration, which is very important. It gives HIQA and the chief inspector of social services the power to inspect services, which is critical. They will be monitoring compliance, which is important. This is about protecting vulnerable people. People who are in need of care are vulnerable and it is important that a high standard of care is being delivered and being monitored.
I welcome the fact that the Bill applies to all home support service providers, whether public, private, voluntary or not-for-profit. Everybody should be working to the same standards and every person receiving care should have the same protections. I also welcome the inclusion of services provided to children and young people. Families should have the confidence that quality and safety standards apply regardless of age.
This Bill is an important step towards the Government's wider goal of developing a statutory home care scheme, as Senator Boyhan said. We know that people, for the most part, want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. We also know that Ireland's population is ageing and that the demand for home support services will continue to grow in the years ahead. The Government has shown its commitment through significant investment in home support services. Funding has been increasing year after year but investment alone is not enough. We have to ensure that the services being funded are safe and accountable and of the highest quality. This legislation will protect service users, support families and improve consistency across the country. It will also go some way towards strengthening public confidence in these services.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-16