Mr. Tony O'Brien:

There used to be the same situation with the fair deal scheme but that has now been resolved. The process is much quicker because it is a funded in a different way. There was a period two and a half years ago when there was a significant interval between approval and availability of a bed and the capacity to provide funding, but now there is not a discrepancy and the average time involved is about four weeks, which is literally the time that it practically takes to get a bed.

It is not a financial limitation that is causing a delay.

Regarding home help and home care packages, the total budget is not sufficient to meet total current demand.