Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I compliment and thank my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group for tabling this private Member's motion. On a daily basis, I get representation on a regular basis or even a daily basis from constituents of mine about what I call discrimination against farming families within the fair deal scheme. This must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Currently, if somebody from a farming background survives ten years in a nursing home, under the fair deal scheme as it is at the moment, over 70% of the farm is gone on debt as the 7.5% contribution charge on assets is applied per annum with no cap. There is double counting applied to the farming community as their income is being taken into account and, on top of that, the HSE is taking 7.5% of the value of their land for every year they reside in a home.

Young farmers in such a situation are currently at risk of losing the family farm. For example, if there is an elderly farmer in a nursing home, his son or daughter is working the farm, earning the income, supporting a young family and will one day inherit the farm. However, if the father has not signed the farm over to his son or daughter at that point and passes away in the nursing home after ten years, his farm is gone, or three quarters gone, and has been taken out from under that son or daughter who has been working the farm in his place.

I raised this matter with Mr. Tony O’Brien, the Director General of the HSE, and Ms Angela Noonan, senior official in the Department of Health with responsibility for older people, at a meeting of the Committee for Public Accounts on 9 March 2017. They acknowledged the glaring discrimination and I was given a commitment that they would seriously consider applying the three-year cap on the 7.5% contribution for farm assets. They made a commitment on that day that they would look at it and go back to the Ministers about it. I followed this up with the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, who is present, via a parliamentary question on 29 March last. Her written response displayed no urgency whatsoever in respect of ending this discrimination. Of the 23,000 people being supported by the fair deal scheme, 648 have farm assets. A total of 648 out of 23,000 is not a small number of families. With an ageing population, that figure will increase significantly. This issue was flagged in the review in 2015. The 2016 programme for Government gives a commitment to remove any discrimination against small businesses and family farms. When will the Government’s current review on the scheme be concluded? I think the Minister of State said that it would be concluded for the budget coming. Will a three-year cap be introduced for farm and business assets in respect of the 7.5% contribution charge?

Just as Deputy Cahill said earlier, I am also from a farming background. I inherited the farm from my farmer. He inherited it from his farmer. That goes back for generations, we do not even know how far. I am going to pass it on to my son. I would not like to see myself in a nursing home and that farm being taken from under my son, daughter or whoever inherits it because of bad management and bad legislation in this House. I ask the Ministers of State to look at this sooner rather than later. Even by the time of the budget in November, there will be people caught up in this system. Farms, and particularly family farms, play a major role in the contribution to this country, both in terms of wealth and in terms of the exports that we send from this country. They are a part of what we are and a part of our heritage. I ask the Ministers of State to look at it as soon as possible.

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