Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 September 2007
410 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if the Health Service Executive have reviewed all families in receipt of nursing home subvention to award them the benefit of the revised rate of basic and enhanced payment; and the value of the average payment at present compared to that in 2006. [20745/07]
View answerOperational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
411 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the estimated number of new people who will become eligible for payment from January 2008 under the enhanced scheme; if those on subvention will have an option of retaining existing subvention; and if she will apply indexation to the current limit for book and enhanced subvention. [20746/07]
View answerAnyone who is in long-term care in a nursing home prior to the 1st January 2008 will be eligible to apply for support under the new nursing home support scheme, A Fair Deal. There are approximately 8,180 people in receipt of subvention at present. When the Fair Deal commences, these people can choose to retain their existing arrangements or they can apply for support under the new scheme. The Fair Deal is likely to be more beneficial for these people, and nobody will be made worse off as a result of the new scheme. In addition, many people who do not currently receive any financial support from the State — an estimated 3,700 — will now be eligible to apply for the Fair Deal. There is no intention to apply an indexation to the current rates of subvention at this time.
