Mr. Tadhg Daly:

Ultimately, what we are concerned about is that there is not a transparent model. If I were a nursing home owner, I would have to determine the detailed criteria used by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, as a State purchaser, rather than just refer to historical fees that were set, as referred to in the fair deal review, or, indeed, county averages. The former Minister of State, Kathleen Lynch, is on the record of the House as outlining that the idea of a county average bears no relevance either to the cost of providing such a service or the standard of care.