Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 May 2004
182 Ms M. Wallace asked the Minister for Health and Children if the guidelines for calculating nursing home subvention regarding the principal private residence not being taken into account when there is a child under the age of 21 can be modified to allow for situations (details supplied). [14848/04]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware the Nursing Home Regulations 1993, Second Schedule, section 12 states: "A health board shall disregard the principal residence in the assessment of a person's means if it is occupied immediately prior to or at the time of the application and continues to be occupied by a spouse, a son or daughter aged less than twenty one years or in full time education or a relative in receipt of the Disabled Persons Maintenance Allowance, Blind Person's Pension, Disability Benefit, Invaldity Pension, or Old Age Non-Contributory Pension". However, it may be of interest to the Deputy to note that my Department is currently undertaking a review of the nursing home regulations. A working group has been set up to look at all aspects of the regulations including the subvention scheme. In examining the subvention scheme, the issue of the creation of an equitable and consistent means assessment is one of the issues to be considered. At this point in the group's work no firm decisions have been made regarding the final details of the means assessment to be employed.
