Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-16
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Sarah O'Reilly (AON), Agricultural Panel

I thank the Minister of State for coming in on this very important issue. I too welcome this long-overdue Bill. Introducing regulation and independent oversight for private, home support providers is absolutely necessary to protect vulnerable adults, who are essentially inviting strangers into their home to care for them. That is why I would like greater clarity on how inspections will work in practice. Unlike residential settings, these services are delivered in private homes. How will HIQA ensure standards are maintained, while respecting the privacy of individuals and families? How will consistency be monitored when care is taking place in thousands of different homes across the country? It is a very positive step and I welcome it. However, home care needs to be radically transformed in this country. We have an ageing population, yet we know that for the first three months of this year over 5,000 people were waiting for a home support service to commence.
Last year, I spoke to carers who were available and ready to work but the HSE had not released funded packages or hours because it had gone over budget. The staff were there for the people who desperately needed care and yet the service was not being delivered. What I was hearing was that the HSE had run over budget, care packages had been approved, and that was giving a false reading of the situation because even though the packages had been approved, the HSE had not released them. There is that extra step. They were not released to the home care providers because of budgetary constraints. The Government increasingly relies on private providers to deliver home care while simultaneously failing to provide a public care structure that is fit for purpose. I ask the Minister of State to explain how many approved home care hours are currently going unfilled and what concrete steps are being taken to ensure that support is actually being provided.

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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