Dr. Kathleen MacLellan:

On the Senator's first comment, HIQA and the Department have worked closely on the regulatory models over the years and are in a process to address those now.

On under-65s in nursing homes, it is our policy view that the preference of those individuals should be met as much as possible. Those in nursing homes tend to have complex care so there is a need for various levels of support for them. Our understanding of the number of under 65s in nursing homes is, and I may not be fully correct on this, that it is around 1,300. My colleague in the HSE may be able to correct me on that. A number of those placed there are not inappropriately placed. Particular decisions have been made that they are appropriate placements. For those for whom care in the community is considered preferable, there has been consideration within the current service plan and some funding has been provided to start examining this year those under 65 in nursing homes and how they can transition back into the community.