Mr. Tony O'Brien:

That is a relevant question. When the fair deal scheme was introduced nursing home developments were what could be described as very bankable because commercial funding was readily available. The development of capacity slowed down in the intervening period because of increasing waiting times stabilising the supply of customers to nursing homes and due to the loss of bankability. Particularly in the north east, where there has been a significant mismatch between demand and supply, I am hopeful that the recent commitment on ensuring people do not wait longer than four weeks, which has increased the overall number of beds, will encourage those who wish to get into the business of developing private nursing homes and persuade potential bankers to look upon those schemes more favourably. We need that stock to be developed.