Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2010
79 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if adequate funds have been set aside to fund the fair deal scheme for 2010; if she will ensure that adequate provision is made for 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41883/10]
View answerA dedicated subhead was established for the purposes of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (subhead B12 in Vote 40 refers). This is managed centrally within the HSE and funding is allocated to qualifying individuals on a "first come, first served" basis.
An additional €97 million was provided for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme in Budget 2010. The additional funding brings the total budget for long-term residential care in 2010 to €979 million. This is effectively the budget for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme albeit that transitional arrangements must also be facilitated from within the subhead, i.e. people in contract beds or people who choose to remain on subvention. The HSE is currently on target to meet all demand for financial support towards nursing home care from within this budget in 2010. The overall budget for the scheme in 2011 will be determined by Government following discussions between the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Finance as part of the estimates process. Deliberations by Government on the expenditure allocations for 2011 are likely to continue up until Budget time.
