The information requested by the Deputy in relation to amounts paid to private nursing homes is, I understand from the Western Health Board, commercially sensitive and the board is not willing to release it into the public domain.
As the responsibility of running the scheme in County Mayo rests with the Western Health Board, my Department requested the information on the amount of subventions in the past year and the number of applications outstanding. My Department has been informed by the Western Health Board that in the past year the cost of the nursing home subvention scheme is €15,027,612. The number of people in receipt of subvention in the board's area over the past year is as follows:
|
Number
|
August 2003
|
1,237
|
September 2003
|
1,277
|
Octobter 2003
|
1,272
|
November 2003
|
1,266
|
December 2003
|
1,292
|
January 2004
|
1,293
|
February 2004
|
1,310
|
March 2004
|
1,330
|
April 2004
|
1,324
|
May 2004
|
1,321
|
June 2004
|
1,348
|
July 2004
|
1,361
|
Currently, there are 190 applications pending for subvention.