Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 11, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following:

5.—The scheme provided by this Act shall be subject to the principle that the

applicant and where relevant his or her family can choose the nursing home that

most suits their needs, and any applicant who is entitled to benefit from the scheme

shall be informed of the details of all nursing homes from which to choose care.".

I thank the Minister for taking my point on board. Her amendment No. 5 accepts the idea that there should be choice. What I was trying to achieve in amendment No. 4 was that the applicant and his or her family should have the choice of nursing home that most suits their needs. On Committee Stage, the Minister said she would look at it to see if she would come back with an amendment on Report Stage. While her amendment is not exactly the same as mine, it states that the applicant may select the relevant facility or approved nursing home from a list given. That is a reasonable acceptance of the point I made.

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