As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for the administration of the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993 rests with the Health Service Executive. There are currently three rates of subvention payable under the regulations, €114.30, €152.40 and €190.50 for the three levels of dependency which are medium, high and maximum.
Under Article 10.6 of the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations, 1993 the Executive may pay more than the maximum rate of subvention in a case, for instance, where personal funds are exhausted. The application of these provisions in an individual case is a matter for the executive in the context of meeting increasing demands for subvention subject to the provisions of the Health Act 2004. The average rate of subvention paid by the executive generally exceeds the current approved maximum rate of subvention. For 2005, funding of over €120 million has been made available for the operation of the scheme, and increase of €5.7 million over the 2004 allocation.
The nursing home subvention scheme is being reviewed by my Department and I do not intend to increase rates of subvention pending the outcome of the review.
