Professor Kathleen Lynch:

There are approximately 30,000 people in nursing homes in Ireland. As I stated earlier in the context of market research on residential caring, the value of that market is €718 million. Unfortunately, when one goes through the market research field and reports, one cannot get any reports on profits. That should be available. If the State is providing subvention to for-profit businesses to a large degree, their profits should be public. As the Deputy said, we know from numerous studies that older people prefer to be cared for at home where possible. If one is in the nursing home, it costs €1,000 to €1,300 a week, going by the list of State-registered nursing homes, which is an enormous amount of money. Yet, from what Family Carers Ireland has just said, people caring for others at home are lucky to get two hours a week. Depending on how they are paid, they might not even have €200 a week, never mind €5,000 per month. I am asking about costs, as I asked about childcare. Who is making money? Can we have a more efficient system? If people want community care and for families to be cared for at home, is that more cost-effective as well as desirable?

Yet, if we do not have any idea of how much profit people are making in the for-profit industry, how can we do an assessment of its viability? That is a fundamental question.