I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. It is fair to say that we are ageing as a society. Our lifespan has improved dramatically compared to 20 years ago. Irish lifespan has increased more than most in the European Union, which is a good thing for all of us, potentially. On the other hand, it creates more challenges in terms of care costs, health costs and so on. Every year, there are substantial increases in the budget as we try to provide for an ageing population. The budget for home support in 2026 is the largest ever at €914 million. That is an increase of over 87% on 2020. That illustrates how services are expanding to meet the needs of a population that is ageing and living longer. That investment will see additional support, and complex home support hours will increase to approximately 26.7 million. That will support about 62,000 people by year end. In the Clare and Limerick county integrated healthcare area, in 2025, 1.38 million hours of home support were delivered. That exceeded the target of 1.35 million hours and represented an increase of over 500,000 since 2024, just two years ago. That is a massive increase in the number of hours we are providing. The Deputy is correct, however, that there are still challenges. There are about 694 people on the waiting list for home support services in the Clare and Limerick county integrated area, down from 748. The service has expanded so much that there has been a challenge in recruiting home carers. The HSE, private providers and others have undertaken a lot of external overseas recruitment initiatives endeavouring to get more in. That is an international challenge. A strategic workforce advisory group on home carers is working with the Department of Health on exploring options. We are also using assistive technology in home support initiatives to directly address rural home support provision. The Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 has passed Second Stage. That will improve the regulation of the sector. More importantly, it is the first step in ensuring that home care will be provided in the context of a statutory home care scheme. We are also providing additional funding to meals on wheels, with about 3.3 million meals a year being provided. A total of 313 day centres will be resourced to support nearly 16,000 people in 2026. I might respond to the Deputy's comment on the fair deal scheme after the supplementary question.

Sentiment score: 0.36

I fully appreciate the Deputy's advocacy for his home county. In terms of home care, day care and meals on wheels, there are very significant extended resources all working together and they are particularly effective in rural areas. I am sure the Deputy will agree what is needed is additional resources, particularly in County Clare. That is what he is advocating for. The fair deal scheme supports people to access nursing home care. The more people have, the more they pay in terms of income levels. It is structured that way. The less they have, the less they pay. Again, there are huge costs involved here. There are about 24,000 people on that scheme, with 80% supported in private nursing homes and the remainder in HSE-run facilities. The cost has gone from €968 million to €1.2 billion in 2025. That will continue to rise. I take the Deputy's point about the need to try to improve that to give people access closer to home. That is accepted. People generally want to stay at home for as long as they possibly can. There comes a stage, I accept, when a nursing home is required. Obviously, the closer to the family home for the family the better in those situations.

Sentiment score: 0.28