Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to publish the report of the interdepartmental working group on long-term care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29757/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The interdepartmental working group was established to review a number of complex and fundamental policy issues pertaining to long-term care for older people. Some of these issues were the subject of the Mercer report on financing long-term care and the O'Shea review of the nursing home subvention scheme. Following consideration of the group's report, a series of key principles to inform policy was endorsed by the Government and incorporated into the new social partnership agreement, Towards 2016.

These principles include, for example, that there should be one standardised national needs assessment for older people needing care. The use of community and home-based care should be maximised. Sheltered housing options will be encouraged. Where residential care is required, it should be quality care and there should be appropriate and equitable levels of co-payment by care recipients based on a national standardised financial assessment. The level of support for residential care should be indifferent as to whether that care is in a public or private facility. The financial model to support any new arrangements must also be financially sustainable.

That agreement also notes the steps which have already been taken by the Government to improve services for older people this year, including the special funding package of €150 million announced in budget 2006. Reflecting the new emphasis on home and day care, almost three quarters of this funding is being invested in community care supports, such as home care packages, home helps and day and respite care.

The interdepartmental group has continued to meet to help draw up proposals for a new policy on long-term care based on the principles endorsed by Government and the social partners. I plan to bring proposals to Government as soon as possible. When the Government has finished its consideration, I expect to be in a position to publish the report of the group.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I wish the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, well for the future. This is her first public appearance since giving up leadership of the Progressive Democrats. It will take a while to get used to addressing her simply as "Minister". Some people might still consider her the real Tánaiste.

On the question of funding long-term care, the problem is that we have been waiting so long for this report. What is the problem? It was part of the health strategy in 2001, and we have had the Mercer and O'Shea reports since 2003. An interdepartmental group has been working with the Cabinet for the past 12 months, yet the Government still has no policy on funding long-term care. The Minister's reply was generic, covering various aspects of funding care of the elderly rather than simply long-term care. There is a sense that the Department is all at sea when it comes to looking after the elderly, and that is why we ask what is going on today.

This morning, at a meeting of the Select Committee on Health and Children, the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, brought forward legislation on funding services for the elderly. The legislation was full of holes, and discussion on it was unbelievable. The Bill as presented is essentially incapable of being implemented.

The same is true with regard to protecting the elderly. We now learn that the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, legislation also promised for this session will not arrive until next year. That means we do not have a social services inspectorate to protect elderly patients or any clear Government policy on how to look after elderly patients or fund their long-term care. There is a sense that the Department is totally lost and has no idea what is happening.

When the Minister of State stands up, he cannot speak of "complex and fundamental" problems. They must be very complex and fundamental if, after five years of thinking and talking about them, he cannot formulate even the most basic policy. When he produces one, I hope it is nothing like the legislation he presented to the Select Committee on Health and Children this morning.

Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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This is Question Time, and the Deputy should ask a question.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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We deserve to see this report and learn what is happening in this regard. If this is being discussed as part of a partnership approach and nothing is coming from the Oireachtas on Government thinking on funding care of the elderly, that is wrong in itself. Has the Minister of State any idea what is going on?

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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We have plenty of ideas, and the notion that we are all at sea on this could not be further from the truth. It is obvious that we have given the matter extremely serious consideration and that the entire issue has been through the social partnership process. That is one reason it has been delayed to some degree. However, it gives one an understanding of the priority we have accorded the matter. I stated to the Deputy what extra moneys were provided in last year's budget, particularly for services for older people, and that is having a major impact.

The Deputy mentioned the nursing home subvention scheme that we discussed this morning. People have difficulties, and there are problems regarding the relationship between public and private providers. Several issues were discussed by the group, which has reported to the Government on progress. In turn, the Government has agreed that several principles should inform the next stage of that work. They will include providing an equitable level of State support for residential care, whether it be provided by a public or private facility. We have made a great deal of progress on it, and I hope to report on that within a few weeks.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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What we need is progress. We have no social services inspectorate or eligibility legislation, and major problems are being reported daily regarding care of the elderly. If the Minister of State has policy ideas, perhaps he might share them with us. If he has difficulty working them out, Fine Gael will do its best to help him overcome his problems. However, he should share them with the House and not simply the social partners.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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We will certainly share our proposals, and if the Deputy has any views or suggestions he wishes to put forward, we will be more than happy to take them on board. He mentioned standards, and it is intended that the Health Bill 2006, whose heads were published for consultation some months ago, should establish the Health Information and Quality Authority. This Bill will also put the social services inspectorate on a statutory basis and will contain provisions to underpin a much more robust inspection system. The chief inspector of social services will be required to monitor against standards set by the Health, Information and Quality Authority for residential services provided to older people, among other categories. We are making considerable progress in the area and providing extra funds to improve existing services.