Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for being here. It is refreshing that we have a Minister of State who is coming in with an open mind and being proactive in his brief and does not come in saying it is his way or the highway. To be fair to him, he has brought innovative change. I welcome his proposition that he would have an open forum with Nursing Homes Ireland because, anecdotally, from talking to and meeting members of Nursing Homes Ireland or people who have their own private nursing homes, I understand there are issues of staff retention, rates of pay, attrition of staff and, obviously, the demands put in place by HIQA in tandem with what is expected by all of us. The issue the Ombudsman highlighted with additional charges and the disparity is one that has caused angst for many people. Notwithstanding the Minister of State's remarks that some nursing homes are private businesses, I hope we might be able to put a kind of overarching philosophy or policy around this because it is important to give people certainty.

Regarding the Minister of State's comments about adding life to years, it is important we plan for the future. We hear there will be a shortage of nursing home beds. The cost is escalating, and I know the review of fair deal is ongoing, but it is important we give certainty, a roadmap is put in place and the Minister of State embarks upon the open forum. It should be a very sensible and very good decision.