Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps he was. I welcome the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021, which updates the fair deal scheme to give greater protections for farm families and small business owners. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on her work in bringing the legislation forward in such a short period. Since her election to the House in 2016, the fair deal scheme has been in her focus. Now, after only ten months of being in office, she has brought it to fruition. I thank her for that. It has always been a priority for her and the update to the policy is very welcome. I also take this opportunity to thank her for her efforts on the vaccine roll-out programme. She has always been very available to Deputies on all sides of the House in dealing with individual queries, which is greatly appreciated by all of us.

The nursing home support scheme has been in operation since 2009. As of 31 December 2020, there were 22,755 people participating in the scheme, at an annual cost of just more than €1 billion. Participants contribute up to 80% of their assessable income and a maximum of 7.5% per annum of the value of assets held. In the case of a couple, the applicant's means are assessed as 50% of the couple's combined income and assets. The first €36,000 of an individual's assets, or €72,000 in the case of a couple, is not counted at all in the financial assessment.

The overall aim of the scheme is that participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means, while the State pays the balance of the cost. Where an individual's assessed weekly contribution is greater than the cost of care, he or she does not qualify for financial support. Therefore, applicants with substantial assets or incomes are unlikely to qualify for financial support. The capital value of individuals' principal private residence is only included in the financial assessment for the scheme for the first three years of their time in care. This is known as the three-year cap. Currently, this unqualified cap does not apply to productive assets such as farms and businesses, except where a farmer or business owner suffers a sudden illness or disability and requires nursing home care as a result. The Bill seeks to address this issue by introducing additional safeguards into the scheme to protect further the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses that will be passed down to the next generation.

Reforming the fair deal scheme to support farm families and entrepreneurs was a firm commitment in the Fianna Fáil manifesto in the last general election. I am delighted to see progress being made in this regard. The change to the scheme, which Fianna Fáil has long sought, will mean that after a period of three years, the value of family-owned farms and businesses will no longer be taken into account when calculating the cost of a person's nursing home care.

This will happen when a family successor commits to working the farm or taking on the business. This change is essential to the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses, allowing them to be passed down to the next generation. This will ensure that the fair deal scheme is fair, more accessible and more affordable for farm and business-owning families. This has been a hugely emotive issue for farm families and business owners in communities right across Ireland and one the Minister of State has acted on as promised.

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 absolutely critical that public investment in long-term care services is maintained for those who need it and it should be increased as our population ages. We must see more capital investment in facilities for older people to allow them stay in their homes as long as possible - particularly the construction of more dedicated sheltered accommodation. I am thinking of the ones in my constituency such as Rochestown House in Sallynoggin, Beaufort day centre in Glasthule, Glasthule Buildings, Kilbegnet Close in Dalkey, Ailt and Óir in Glenageary and the list goes on. We are very fortunate in our urban area to have a number of different types of residential accommodation for our elderly which have been built up over time. However, that is not to say there is enough such accommodation. Not everybody wants to go into long-term residential care. The vast majority of older people want to live independently, as the Minister of State knows from her own engagement with the organisations and services for older people. However, it is essential that not only the private sector but the State looks to plan over the long term for residential care and residential settings. If we look at the financial contribution, Dublin City Council, for example, has used that quite successfully, although it must be said it was limited. I would like to see it used in other local authority areas, where people in private accommodation can, if they choose, sell that accommodation and look to step down into accommodation that is council-owned, provided through an associated housing body or through other agencies. It is very important that we look at this and plan now. Arguably, not enough planning has gone into it over the last number of years but it is essential we look not only at reforming fair deal, as we are doing today, but also at reform of accommodation and sheltered accommodation for those who may need it over the next number of years. I hope the Bill will receive cross-party support to ensure these welcome and necessary changes are introduced without delay.

In the time I have left, I have a query for the Minister of State which she might come back to me on. I know she may not have the information to hand but I am wondering whether there is an inbuilt review of the fair deal system with this particular change. If the Minister of State has time she might come back to me on that. I am thinking of an automatic review in, perhaps, three years because while these changes are welcome, other changes may come to light over the next little while. I do not expect the Minister of State to have any answer to my final question today but her office might reply to me in writing. It concerns the promotion and better understanding in the public domain of the power of attorney. It is really important that knowledge and understanding of that system is out there. It is not only about, as I said, planning for people's accommodation needs into the future but so people can actually plan for their future if anything happens with their mental or physical needs into the future.

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