Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I raised this issue a few months ago. The MacBride community nursing home in Westport, County Mayo, got planning permission for an extension. The nursing home has 49 full-time residents and 20 to 25 day patients. I compliment the matron and the staff on the excellent job they do. This badly needed extension is for the extra services that they want to provide, but also for the extra beds for people in the adjoining area who need full-time care in the home.

We are not talking about a lot of money, only €1.6 million. Last week, a major announcement was made in the subvention of home care packages and we were told that plenty of money would be made available for the elderly. Tonight, I hope the Minister will tell me that the MacBride nursing home will get funding for the extension that it badly needs. The staff are working under difficult circumstances. There is a health and safety aspect regarding the equipment in the home and it is time that the funding was provided for this facility. The facility is well used, as is the day care facility that is part of the home. The staff are doing an excellent job, but the funding needs to be put in place to provide the badly needed facility. I hope the Government will make that money available immediately. The planning has been done and the staff are still working under difficult circumstances. I raised this a number of months ago and I am disappointed that the money was not provided. The staff are disappointed and the people of Westport are disappointed, as are the patients who have their names on waiting lists.

There seems to be a new onus on community care organisations within the county. The first thing that happens when elderly people wish to go into a home is that they are handed a subvention form. They are forced to go outside their area and into private nursing homes. This is a publicly built nursing home and it has been very successful. The people in and around Westport like it and it is badly needed. The necessary funding is required for the extension so that the required equipment can be put in place and the extra services can be delivered. In the overall context of the health budget, €1.6 million is a very small amount of money but it is needed for this project so that the people can continue the excellent work they are doing in this nursing home.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

The Government has made services for older people a priority and is fully committed to the development of a comprehensive health service which is capable of responding quickly, fully and effectively to the health service needs of older people. An investment package of an additional €150 million has been put in place for 2006 and 2007, which is the largest ever increase in funding for such services and is evidence of the Government's commitment to develop such services. The investment package is focused on caring for people in the community and is a major step in focusing new resources on home and community care, while still supporting appropriate residential care.

Day care centres are recognised as an important service in the continuum of care necessary to support older people to remain living at home and to support their carers. This is clearly shown by the fact that €9 million of the €150 million investment package is dedicated to day care and respite services. Day care centres provide older people in the area with a facility where they can meet new friends and enjoy recreational activities, promoting social contact among older people with the intention of preventing loneliness. They also provide a break for carers as well as social and physical stimulation in a safe environment for the older members of the local community. Older people deserve first class facilities and recent years have seen dramatic changes in both the concept and practice of services for older people, and enormous strides have been made, and continue to be made in developing a comprehensive, community-based service that is integrated with other health services.

MacBride community nursing unit is a 40 bed Health Service Executive western area facility located in Westport, County Mayo. The existing services include residential, respite, day care, physiotherapy and occupational therapy outreach services. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services, including its capital programme. The progression of the proposed day care centre at the MacBride nursing unit is therefore a matter for the HSE.

The HSE has advised that the project involves the construction of an extension to the unit to cater for day care services due to the ever-increasing demand for this service. It has also advised that it has cost €20,000 to bring the project to the planning stage, exclusive of upgrading works to the existing nursing unit, and that the total cost of the finished project would be in the region of €1.01 million. The HSE has also advised that this project is included in category two capital projects for 2006, which means that the project is at design stage and it is included as a priority in the HSE's 2006 capital plan.