James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has put an enormous amount of work into this particular issue. I am glad to see that progress is being made. I am sure there are many issues that still need to be teased out but I have every confidence that she will deliver. I come from a farming background and the Minister of State and I share a constituency border. We are very much at the heart of dairy country in Ireland. This particular issue is of the utmost importance to people working in agriculture in the dairy industry and to family farms right across the country.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021 updates the fair deal nursing home support scheme to give greater protections to farm families and businesses. This was also a firm commitment in the Fianna Fáil manifesto last year. This change to the scheme will mean that after a three-year period, the value of family-owned farms will no longer be considered when calculating the cost of a person’s nursing home care. This will happen where a family successor commits to working the farm or business. This change is essential to the viability and sustainability of family farms, allowing them to be passed down to the next generation. It will ensure that the fair deal is fairer, more accessible and more affordable for farm families.

The capital value of an individual’s principal private residence is only included in the financial assessment for the scheme for the first three years of that individual's time in care. This is known as the three-year cap. Currently, this unqualified three-year cap does not apply to productive assets such as farms and businesses, except in the case where a farmer or business owner suffers a sudden illness or disability and, as a result, requires nursing home care. This Bill seeks to address this issue by introducing additional safeguards to the scheme to further protect the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses that will be passed down to the next generation of the family. The proposed change is to cap the period in which financial contributions are based on farm and business assets at three years, where a nominated family successor commits to working the productive asset within the first three years of the resident’s time in care.

This has been a very emotive issue for many farm families across the country and it is one on which Fianna Fáil has now acted. We are happy to have now made this critical step forward with the publication of this vital Bill.

We have listened, heard and responded to the calls from farm families, the IFA and businesses for these fundamental reforms. I pay tribute to the IFA for its significant work on this issue. There is more to be done and, speaking as someone from a farming background, I look forward to engaging with the association on a continuous basis.

This Bill to amend the nursing homes support scheme will place a cap of three years on the financial contributions of family-owned and operated farms or businesses when calculating the cost of nursing home care. This will occur where a family successor commits to working the farm or business. The scheme, commonly known as fair deal, is a system of financial support for those in need of long-term nursing home care. It aims to ensure that care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings. The Government recognises that the three-year cap on the financial assessment of a person's income and assets applies to family farms or businesses only in the case of sudden illness or disability. This may place unnecessary financial pressures on those families and could challenge the future viability of their farms and businesses. The Bill delivers on the programme for Government commitment to address the issue by introducing additional safeguards to the scheme to promote and protect the sustainability of family farms and businesses that will be passed down to the next generation.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the vulnerabilities of many older people, especially those living in long-term residential care. It is critical that public investment in long-term care services be maintained for the people and areas that need it. Care must remain accessible and affordable, including for those families with a farm or business.

Where my community of Youghal is concerned, I am looking forward to engaging with the Minister of State on expanding the local care facilities in our area of east Cork. It has a rapidly ageing population in addition to having quite a young population and further investment in the region is needed. I thank her for her engagement so far and look forward to working with her.

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