Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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From a practical point of view, HIQA made it clear it has no role in setting the fees and costs of nursing homes. Those are set by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. The body which deals with the nursing homes is the NTPF. When it comes to the fair deal issue and the cost of the fair deal issue, and what the State pays the nursing homes, we will have to have the NTPF here because its staff are the ones who write the cheques and agree the money. HIQA have a role in the so-called health and safety aspects and other aspects such as inspections in nursing homes and other HSE facilities.

I will also include as part of this debate correspondence item 803C on the agenda relating to this. It is from Mr. Gearóid Brennan, chief executive, Droimnín Nursing Home, Stradbally, County Laois. He wrote to me, as Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts.I met them and I have tabled parliamentary questions on this issue. They forward a copy of the parliamentary questions I put to the chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, Mr. Tadhg Daly. They are very concerned. They state they believe the matters raised, particularly the disparity in the treatment of the public vis-à-visthe private and voluntary nursing home sectors, are deserving of scrutiny by the Committee of Public Accounts and would urge me to use our good offices to pursue this matter. That deals with the cost - what the State pays them. It also raises the issue of what the taxpayer pays for the service provided in the State nursing homes.

To cover all the ground - I want to be comprehensive and do everything members suggest - there are a couple of interests. HIQA has a role. Nursing Homes Ireland has a role. The NTPF has a role because its staff are the ones who make all the financial arrangements. Finally, the HSE has a role because a significant proportion of those in respect of whom the fair deal is being paid are in State nursing homes, while others are in private ones. We have all said, from last year, we want to deal with this fair deal issue. There is a day in that with all those groups.

Can we ask the secretariat to get the first available date when we can get these people in? It might work to meet them next Thursday afternoon. I have no problem if it is next Thursday afternoon.