Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Nursing homes and their clients have been through the mill in the past two years. They have overcome the kind of challenges we could not even fathom until we had to face them. Today, they are facing new challenges in the context of keeping their doors open, retaining talent and delivering top-class services, all while facing skyrocketing energy bills. The gas bill of a nursing home in my constituency tripled in three months. It has been told to expect further hikes. For it and many other facilities, this is not sustainable. While some households may turn down radiators during summer, that is not an option for nursing homes because they have to maintain HIQA standards. The National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, must put forward a meaningful package to alleviate the inflationary pressures that are crippling many nursing homes. I ask the Minister to request that the NTPF engage with nursing homes' representative body, Nursing Homes Ireland.

See this speech in context