Vol. 534 No. 3
162 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has any plans to review the provision whereby it is considered that ownership of a house generates an income when considering eligibility for nursing home subvention; if his attention has been drawn to the hardship this provision is making for owners of properties which are deemed to be of substantial value in view of the increase in house prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10538/01]
The Second Schedule of the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, sets out the general rules for the assessment of means in respect of an application for a nursing home subvention. "Means" for the purposes of these regulations are the income and the imputed value of assets of a person in respect of whom a subvention is being sought and the income and imputed income of his or her spouse. Section 13 of the regulations states that "a health board may impute an annual income equivalent to 5% of the estimated market value of the principal residence of the person, if it was not occupied immediately prior to or at the time of the application by a spouse, a son or daughter aged less than twenty one years or in full time education or a relative in receipt of the disabled person's maintenance allowance, blind person's pension, disability benefit, invalidity pension or old age noncontributory pension."
