Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the wider point made by the Deputy, there is no denying that services are under a lot of pressure. We have fewer staff working in the health service than in recent years and I am not going to pretend that this is not the case. It applies not only to nursing homes but across the board. However, that is a separate matter from this legislation which does not relate to the fair deal scheme and nursing homes per se. What it is about is people making a contribution to the cost of their food, utilities and so on where they are living in certain accommodation. If somebody is living in the community or his or her own home, he or she must pay for food, utilities and everything else. This is making sure we have a sound legal basis in continuing to require people to make a contribution to these costs. We are not talking about the cost of care; rather, we are talking about the cost of food, heating, refuse collection, gas and other essential utilities.