Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

Can the Minister of State give us any idea why the Bill has taken four months given that it was supposed to be published before Christmas and that it was only delayed because there was not enough time for consultation? Can she say why it has taken four months to sort out the legal problems? In regard to the €110 million set aside for the purposes of the fair deal legislation, the Minister of State said the HSE was not told it should spend it in other areas. Can she tell me if the HSE was told not to spend it in other areas? In other words, did she tell the HSE to ring fence it and use it for the care of the elderly? There are families out there who were waiting to get this and they are struggling to pay the costs. The Minister of State said people could choose to go into private or public care. Originally we were told that the National Treatment Purchase Fund had a role in allocating people to certain nursing homes. If people can choose where they go, what exactly is the role of the National Treatment Purchase Fund in this matter?

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