Vol. 467 No. 1
141 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Health the plans, if any, he has to increase the allowances under the nursing homes subvention scheme particularly the personal allowances for relatives, dependent spouses and children. [12550/96]
Limerick East): The subvention scheme which accompanied the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, came into operation on 1 September 1996 and ensures that those most in need of care in a nursing home and without the means to pay for it receive assistance towards that cost. Since the introduction of the scheme on the 31 December 1995 a total of £31.2 million has been expended on subventions and this year, approximately £16 million has been allocated to the scheme.
As the Deputy may be aware, a working group comprised of officials of my Department and the health boards was established to review the operation of the Nursing Homes Act. The group reported to me earlier this year. While the group concluded that the dependent elderly were the people who had benefited most from the Act, it also identified a number of issues which were causing some problems in the effective operation of the Act. One of these issues was the assessment of adult childrens' circumstances. Accordingly, the group recommended that the allowances listed in the Third Schedule to the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations, 1993 (Paragraph 6) which sets out the general rules for the assessment of circumstances of a person who has qualified for a nursing home subvention, be increased. A draft amendment to the regulations has been prepared by officials of my Department and I expect to bring it into operation in the very near future.
