Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I accept that but, for instance, the owners of one nursing home came to me. It is tied by section 38 regulations regarding salaries and everything else but it got an increase of 1.5%. They are now talking about cutting back, reducing the number of beds they are going to provide because they cannot keep going. They are now in a loss-making situation. I acknowledge the NTPF is not under Mr. Gloster's jurisdiction but there is a problem with it. We have already lost 41 nursing homes in the past four years, and 1,200 beds. The population has increased resulting in increased demand and then there is also pressure in the sense that it is difficult to find people to provide home care. There are a number of challenges, yet it seems those challenges are not being responded to adequately.