Cavan-Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully reacted with dismay at the latest waiting list figures for those seeking home support. The figures shows a year-on-year increase in Cavan-Monaghan of 76%.
Deputy Tully says 390 families in the region are waiting on these services. Deputy Tully highlighted how these latest figures for Cavan-Monaghan are very worrying and they highlight the demand that is there for home care.
She added that care work has a poor reputation in Ireland; is considered unattractive; is poorly remunerated; and is under-valued. "This is evident in the fact that although a new employment permit system for workers from outside the European Economic Area was introduced with a quota of 1,000 employment permits for home care workers only seven people have applied.
"This must be addressed by the Government. They have consistently failed to properly plan and put contingencies in place. They must deliver on the recommendations of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group which included that home-care providers should provide their employees with the national living wage, and they should also pay them for time spent travelling between people's homes.
"I am also calling on the government to relax the income and working hours limits for part-time home care workers in receipt of social welfare payments to quickly introduce additional capacity to the homecare sector.
"Behind these statistics are real lives and real people who are being let down by the state. People with disabilities and older people have every right to lead full, independent lives and receive sufficient support from the state to meet their needs.
"This situation is not good enough for people in Cavan and Monaghan who need these services. The Government must stop burying their head in the sand on this issue and finally prioritise people with disabilities and older people to ensure they get the support they deserve," said Deputy Tully
