Results 2,621-2,640 of 3,665 for speaker:Seán Power

Written Answers — Health Service Allowances: Health Service Allowances (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Nursing Home Subventions: Nursing Home Subventions (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: In December, 2006 my Department formally advised the Health Service Executive of the signing of the Nursing Homes (Subvention) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI No. 642 of 2006). These Regulations increase the basic rate of subvention to a maximum of €300 per week. Additional funding has been provided for enhanced subvention payments. My Department asked the Executive to circulate...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: These amendments were raised on Committee and Report Stages in the Dáil and none was accepted because the Bill provides for a single appeals process. It is not considered necessary to include a separate appeals provision under each section of the Bill. The appeals provision at section 7E of the Bill provides for a more robust and transparent appeals procedure in accordance with legal...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: These amendments relate to a change introduced on 1 January 2007, which replaced the three levels of dependency previously used, namely, medium, high and maximum, and their corresponding subvention rates with a single maximum rate of €300. Levels of dependency no longer exist. A person now is deemed to be either dependent or not dependent. In simple terms, a person either does or does...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: These amendments provide that where 5% of an individual's property is taken into account as part of the financial assessment for subvention, it will be taken into account only for the first three years the person is paid subvention. These amendments are intended to benefit many of those in private nursing homes in the immediate term. On foot of the amendments, the HSE will assess applicants...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: These amendments are largely technical and the main reason for them is to update the names of certain social welfare benefits and pensions referred to in the legislation. Some of those names changed recently owing to the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Act 2006. The amendments also do two other related things. First, they provide that if the names of any of the social welfare...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: Amendment No. 24 adds a provision to the Bill whereby the Health Service Executive, HSE, may refuse to pay a subvention where the nursing home in question is not tax compliant. Under normal circumstances, the HSE will seek a tax clearance certificate from companies to which more than €6,500 of public money has been given in payment over a 12-month period. That is to ensure that the tax...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: It is a simple punctuation change.

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: I take Senator Browne's point, but we are living in changed times, and if one is doing business with the Government in any shape or form, it is expected that one be tax compliant and that a tax clearance certificate be capable of being provided if requested. The homes will very much be in line with every other industry doing business with the Government. One may rest assured that the HSE...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: From 1 January the basic rate of subvention was increased to €300 per week. The increase in the basic rate necessitates an increase in the property threshold for areas outside Dublin from €300,000 to €365,000 where a person has an average annual income greater than €10,400, increased from €9,000. Under the terms of the financial means assessment, a person with income equivalent to...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: It may not make sense to some people but this tool has also been used by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for some time. One cannot deny that a major difference exists in regard to house prices in Dublin and the rest of the country. The further one goes, the greater the difference. If Wicklow and Kildare were included in the Dublin region, Laois could argue...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: When the subvention scheme was introduced in 1993, the intention was to assist people with the cost of care. At that stage the property threshold was £75,000, which remained unchanged for a good few years. We have made some changes but a system will never be brought in that will satisfy everybody. The Senator would have to acknowledge there is a serious difference in house prices once one...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: I have admitted on a number of occasions that the subvention scheme in place is far from ideal, and if we started from scratch we would never arrive at the current position. This has been acknowledged. As today is 1 February, we will have a completely new scheme in operation in 11 months' time which will be much more equitable and which I am sure Senator Ryan and Senator Browne will find...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: I clearly have more confidence in the Senator than he has himself.

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: There is a difference between the income and value of property. I made the point that a person could be in receipt of a pension, have a house valued at €364,000 and still qualify for subvention.

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: Amendment No. 21 replaces the three previous rates of subvention, namely, €114.30, €152.40 and €190.50 per week for medium, high and maximum dependency, respectively, with one single rate of €300. This measure is one of those already introduced from 1 January this year by way of the Nursing Homes (Subvention)(Amendment) Regulations 2006. This is now simply being transposed into...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: The effect of amendment No. 25 will be to facilitate the VAT exemption on privately provided home care. Under the current system, home care services provided by health boards or voluntary bodies do not generally come within the scope of VAT. However, services provided by private home care providers, whether through the HSE or directly to the client, are subject to VAT. This amendment has...

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: Senator Ryan has read too much into it. Nothing will prevent one from obtaining the information which he states the HSE will hide.

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: At present, the HSE supplies a list of providers in particular areas and this will not change.

Seanad: Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (1 Feb 2007)

Seán Power: This is not intended to hide or protect the names of care providers. It is the practice of the HSE to publish the information and to provide it when requested because naturally enough people seek the names of care providers on a regular basis and that practice will continue.