Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

A number of legal issues led to the undesirable delay that occurred in respect of the finalising of the Bill for Government. Legal issues emerged in the discussions with the Parliamentary Counsel and these had to be cleared before the Bill could come before Government for approval. Thankfully we are now at a very advanced stage.

On Deputy Reilly's question on the €110 million for the scheme, to date €13 million has been allocated from those moneys provided in budget 2008 for the provision of 200 contract beds. Approval was also given to the HSE to utilise a further €12 million in meeting the costs associated with nursing home subventions and existing contract beds. This brings to €25 million the total funding redirected from the nursing home support scheme and committed to nursing home supports in 2008. The intention was that the balance of the €110 million would be used to meet certain other additional costs facing the health services this year as part of the budgetary consolidation measure announced by the Government in July. The necessary funding for the scheme dealt with in the Bill, which will be published in the next couple of weeks, is an issue to be dealt with in the forthcoming budget.

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