Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I met representatives of nursing home owners and various senior citizens groups which are all concerned about the timeframe involved. I wish to ask a few questions in respect of their concerns. The first relates to the standards that will be drawn up by HIQA will not, as I understand it, be available when the legislation is introduced and will only be produced later. Is it not strange that the fair deal will come into play before the standards relating to it appear?

My second question relates to whether senior citizens will have a choice of nursing homes. I understand the National Treatment Purchase Fund will be given the role of deciding on and allocating nursing homes to individuals. I would be concerned about this because a facility might be located a long distance from a person's home or a person might not wish to be sent to a particular home. It may eventually be the case that large nursing homes will take in many people because it will probably be cheaper to proceed in that way. The people to whom we are referring will live in these homes.

My third question involves family homes and the percentage of the value of a family home that will be taken subsequent to the death of the person who owns it. There are serious concerns with regard to this aspect of the matter. How will a spouse or another member of a family who remains in the family home and might be on social welfare payments or a low income pay this percentage? There are many questions relating to this matter and I do not believe there will be adequate time for consultation before 1 January.

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