Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

There is no uncertainty about the scheme. We could not have made it clearer. The funding is available. It is ring-fenced and will be available in the future. No one who is in need of long-stay nursing home care for older persons will be in any doubt about that.

While I accept that beds are closing, equally, many beds are opening. I refer to Ballincollig, for instance, which the Deputy knows very well, and to other areas of the country where we are opening other beds. It is not the case that we are depleting bed numbers. We are opening a different type of centre and offering a different type of care.

On whether the scheme is sustainable in terms of property values, that is irrelevant at this stage. The review will deal with that. I will not pre-empt what the review will come up with. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that. Equally, it must be said loud and clear that only 17% of the people who have applied for the nursing home subvention or loan scheme are relying on the sale of property after death. Everyone else is paying upfront. That must be part and parcel of the review.

See this speech in context