Mr. Niall Redmond:

In terms of the fair deal, in many respects the fair deal scheme is the epitome of the money following the patient. The prospective resident of a nursing home makes the decision as to what nursing home to live in or transfer to. It is not the case that the HSE or Department makes a decision; rather it is the decision of the individual or family as to what nursing home a person may attend. I again stress that for any family considering what is a very significant life decision in terms of putting someone into nursing home care, all of the HIQA inspection reports are available online and they should pay close attention to them in terms of making those decisions.