Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy rightly points out, we need to look at the type of regulation we have asked HIQA to implement. It is Government policy and HIQA does it very well. It is usually the last line of defence in looking after very vulnerable people. We need to look at the different types of care available. The care homes in the Deputy's area are delivering a different type of care that is not overly medicated and does not have a medical model attached to it; it is more of a social model. We are going to have to look at how we tweak these things. We have to ensure people are safe and that the service they receive is of a particular standard. Nevertheless, they are different from long-stay nursing homes.

The reason the €300 million for public nursing homes has been mentioned today is that we are close to concluding our talks. There is more to be done in terms of how we are going to manage it in the timeframe of the capital programme. The Deputy has mentioned public nursing homes that are very worried that they are not going to meet registration qualification requirements and, therefore, could be put on notice that they would have to close beds or would not be able to admit more residents. It is very good news for them that we will now have a plan to ensure they will all meet the criteria in order to be registered by HIQA in the timeframe up to 2021. That is genuinely very good news for them. It has taken a lot of work, in which many people have been involved. I am glad that it is bearing fruit and that the plan will be published very shortly.

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