Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The fair deal scheme is not undemocratic. It assesses everyone's assets in the same way, whether it is business, land or savings. The first €36,000 is disregarded if a person is single and the first €72,000 is disregarded for a couple. The Deputy spoke about a farmer. If the farmer is married or has a common-law wife or husband, the person does not pay 7.5%, they pay 3.75% and 40% of their income. There is one piece of legislation I know inside out and that is fair deal legislation. I live and breathe it every day of the week.

To return to Deputy Naughten's point, the definition of "relative" is not an interpretation by the HSE, it is in the Act. It is very clear what it is. It is currently limited to a partner, a husband or wife, a common-law partner, male or female, relatives such as nieces and nephews, brothers- and sisters-in-law. That was where the challenge was. I think Deputy Healy-Rae is missing the point. All we are trying to do is to support farm families and businesses if they want to appoint a successor, which does not necessarily mean that is the person who will inherit the farm or business, to keep the business going while their loved one is in a nursing home. All I am trying to do is expand it because there was an unintended consequence two years ago when this legislation came in where bachelor farmers were excluded because they did not have a relative to be appointed as a successor. It had to be a family member to be appointed as a successor. If it is a person's first cousin, for example, more than likely they are around the same age as the person. Now it is first cousin, once, twice and thrice removed to ensure that. This has turned into a whole conversation about farming. It is not just about farming. Fair deal is for everyone, farmers, business owners and ordinary people living in a two-up-two-down house.

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