Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

What happened to the Fine Gael Government promise of a four-week turnaround for the fair deal scheme? The Fine Gael Government also promised farm families that the arrangements and qualifications for the fair deal scheme would be improved to give more farm families access to the scheme. While demand for the scheme has risen significantly, the four-week turnaround for the scheme that was promised seems to have vanished. We have heard nothing more about Fine Gael's promised improvements to the fair deal scheme for farm families. Many families experience serious distress when one of their relatives, usually an older person, is in need of a nursing home bed. As the Taoiseach will be aware, people cannot leave major hospitals until they are given such a bed, if their condition is serious.

In the Taoiseach's bilateral or trilateral meetings, or whatever they are, with Ministers, that is, not with the whole Cabinet committee or the civil servants who brief that committee, did he discuss the Government's promise to farm families? Did he discuss what is happening to the fair deal scheme? Does he appreciate that the fair deal scheme is likely to run out of money? I know the Taoiseach says there is plenty of money and that it is not a problem. If it is not a problem, why can the Government not deal with the issue?

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