Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps the review carried out by those consultants on behalf of the Department of Health was a review that saw a gap that should have been included or dealt with in the first place or perhaps it was a review of another tax relief for the operation of nursing homes and this is an opportunity to broaden it here. The Minister might clarify this point.

Furthermore, does this proposal include retirement villages on the grounds of nursing homes because if it does, it is getting into a bigger area? I get the feeling it does because I am looking at the wording of the resolution. The Minister will understand that when an amendment is being made to a section, and when Members only have the amendments in front of them, it is hard to know what is behind it all. However, it refers to work being carried out on a single-storey house or a house that is comprising a building of more than one storey. If there are houses in such a village and they are not exactly single-storey houses, are they included or excluded from the scheme? Will some of this be necessary as a result of HIQA requirements for standards, perhaps on foot of HIQA reports? How many nursing homes are expected to benefit from this and who contacted or lobbied the Government in respect of this amendment?

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