Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 13 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 3

Written Answers. - Nursing Home Subventions.

Richard Bruton

Question:

170 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the changes in the means test for nursing home subvention which may need changing in view of the Ombudsman's report, including the validity of valuing the family home. [3856/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The Second Schedule of the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, sets out the general rules for the assessment of means in respect of an application for a nursing home subvention. "Means" for the purposes of these regulations are the income and the imputed value of assets of a person in respect of whom a subvention is being sought and the income and imputed income of his or her spouse.

Section 13 of the regulations states that "a health board may impute an annual income equivalent to 5% of the estimated market value of the principal residence of the person if it was not occupied immediately prior to or at the time of the application by a spouse, a son or daughter aged less than 21 years or in full-time education or a relative in receipt of the disabled person's maintenance allowance, blind person's pension, disability benefit, invalidity pension or old age non-contributory pension."

Section 22 of the regulations set out an exclusion whereby a health board may refuse to pay a subvention to a person if his or her principal residence is valued at £75,000 or more and is not occupied by a spouse, a son or daughter aged less than 21 years or in full-time education or a relative in receipt of the disabled person's maintenace allowance, blind person's pension, disability benefit, invalidity pension, or old age non-contributory pension and the person's income is greater than £5,000 per annum. My Department is currently examining a number of aspects of the nursing home regulations, including a review of the value of the principal residence for the purposes of the exclusion clause.

Means are assessed for this scheme to ensure that the available funding is directed at those older people who have the greatest need of financial assistance.