I presume the Deputy is referring to the decision taken to make retrospective payments to those who were adversely affected by the provisions of the Nursing Home Subvention Regulations, 1993, which allowed for the assessment of circumstances.
Articles 9.1 and 9.2 of the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, allowed health boards to assess the ability of the adult sons and/or daughters of older people who applied for nursing home subventions to contribute towards the cost of their parents' nursing home care. The provision which allowed for this assessment was deleted from 1 January 1999. This amendment was made because the provisions in question were not consistent with the assessment procedures adopted in the granting of medical cards by health boards or in the social assistant payment schemes administered by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, wherein there is no consideration of the financial circumstances of adult sons and-or daughters of applicants.