Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2011
293 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the level of new funding available for the fair deal scheme; the number of patients waiting to be accepted onto the scheme; the average length of time patients are waiting to be accepted onto the scheme; the level of funding in 2011; the level of funding in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40254/11]
View answerThe total budget for long-term residential care in 2011 is approximately €963m. This is, in reality, 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, people who choose to remain on subvention and people paying in-patient charges in public nursing homes.
Additional funding of €55m has been provided for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme in 2012. This brings the total funding available for long-term residential care in 2012 to over €1 billion. Subhead B12 in the recently published Estimates for Public Services 2012 contains a total provision of €1,049,710 for long-term residential care. However, this figure includes an amount for ancillary costs associated with long-term residential care for older people.
