Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Once again, I raise the issue of the significant inequitable financial treatment under the fair deal scheme meted out to public nursing homes on the one hand and private, community and voluntary nursing homes on the other. As a result, many small, family-run, often rural nursing homes are finding themselves in real financial trouble. Last week, two former TDs, Dr. Jerry Cowley and Dr. Michael Harty, who are both chairs of community, voluntary, not-for-profit nursing homes located within a few kilometres of public nursing homes which receive between €600 and €700 more per patient per week than their nursing homes do, stated they are both in significant financial trouble. A state-aid complaint has been lodged with the European Commission. What will the Minister of State do to address this huge discrepancy?

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