Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1563. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the status of action 19.8 of the Housing for All proposal which set out to amend the nursing home support scheme to remove disincentives against the rental of vacant properties in the fair deal scheme; and the likely timeline for progress in relation to same (details supplied). [20148/22]
View answer1564. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that those who are administering an estate on behalf of their loved one in a nursing home will be included in consultations in relation to action 19.8 of the Housing for All proposal which sets out to amend the nursing home support scheme to remove disincentives against the rental of vacant properties in the fair deal scheme (details supplied). [20149/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1563 and 1564 together.
The Government has approved a policy change to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, or “Fair Deal”, to incentivise applicants to the Scheme to rent out their principal residence after they have entered long-term residential care. The rate of assessment on rental income from a person's principal residence will be reduced from 80% to 40% . This policy change addresses the commitments made under Housing For All Action 19.8. A 40% assessment rate - as opposed to a 0% rate - better manages the risks referred to by the deputy. My Department anticipates that the enactment of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, which is due to come into force at the end of June, will also provide a further framework to safeguard residents’ choices.
