Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are very welcome. Like the other committee members, I am very concerned about this issue. I have a few questions I would like to run through. One of the witnesses mentioned earlier that there was funding for recruitment and that it had started this week. That funding was supplied six months ago. What was the delay in that recruitment process? All of a sudden the HSE is interviewing people in the week of this committee meeting. That is a great coincidence.

In 2011, the Time to Move On report was published and now we are creating a pilot programme. Why was that report on the shelf for ten years and what was done in that time? What are the costs of moving an individual out of a congregated setting? Who is currently funding the under-65s in these nursing homes? Does that come under the fair deal scheme with the HSE? Mr. O'Regan mentioned that there was only funding for 18 individuals in the pilot programme. The State is funding and paying for people to be in congregated settings at the minute. The 1,000 extra people who are currently in congregated settings are not unfunded. Are there any moves to utilise the money that is being spent now and broaden its use to get people out of congregated settings far quicker, using the information we are getting from the pilot scheme?

The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is deeply passionate about this issue and is committed to finally getting this shame eliminated. What is the Department doing to find real, solid pathways for looking after individuals? That might be through neurological triage, regional and community triage or step-down community triage to look after them when they leave acute care and find the best next step for them, whether that is going into assisted living or going back into their own communities. What paths are available now? We do not want any more people going into these settings. We need to stop this, not increase the figures going into homes, and not make the situation worse. Alongside the pilot programmes to get people out we need to make sure we have programmes to stop them going in, or we will just continue the cycle of having more than 1,000 people under the age of 65 within congregated settings.