Results 19,261-19,280 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald
- Seanad: SCHEDULE 1. (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 36: In page 64, lines 38 to 47 and in page 65, lines 1 to 3, to delete paragraph 7.
- Seanad: SCHEDULE 1. (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Senator Bradford has pointed out the anomaly and injustice. The Bill as drafted has serious implications for farmers and small business owners. While nobody will end up paying more than the cost of care they receive, the deferred charge in the case of the principal private residence is capped at 15%, 5% for three years, but there is no cap on the deferred charge and other fixed assets such...
- Seanad: SCHEDULE 1. (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I agree with Senator Bradford. The Government has taken a very small step to address the serious issue of farm families confronted with having to pay for nursing home care. Such families could be exposed to huge costs and forced to sell the family farm to pay for nursing home care. A person who spends three years in a nursing home costing â¬800 per week will pay more than â¬124,000,...
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I spoke on section 7 and I await the Minister of State's response to the points made on amendment No. 11 to establish the general legal advice received.
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: May I respond to the Minister?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Will the Minister of State spell out the implications? Earlier I called on the Minister of State to do so, but it also arises in this section because we are discussing care assessment. Will the Minister inform the House of the Government's understanding of resource capping and the meaning of it in the context of the Bill?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Will the Minister provide some information on the â¬55 million and how it will meet the need for the scheme and the need for places? What is the Department's estimate of the total required or of the numbers currently requiring care who would be eligible for the scheme?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Will the Minister of State repeat that?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: To what does the â¬909 million refer?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 18: In page 16, subsection (1), line 3, to delete "a suitable person" and substitute "an independent third party". The Bill gives very little scope for an independent review by a third party. The phrase "suitable person" occurs in the Bill and I propose that it be substituted with the words "an independent third party". The Bill should allow an independent third party...
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: My concern is that it is a closed system. There appears to be no provision in the Bill for independent review. We propose that a financial review, for example, should be conducted by an independent third party so a fair and reliable estimate could be established in which both the applicant and the HSE could have faith. An important way of doing that is to insert independence into the...
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: No.
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Fine Gael amendment proposes that the percentage value accruing to the executive under this part should not exceed 15% of the estimated value established under section 10. This would be a protection for people and is in line with Government policy. As we have seen, there is huge volatility in the markets and in valuations and a person's individual circumstances could fluctuate...
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I support the amendment. I refer, for example, to the OECD report on older people and transitions which pointed out how difficult the move into long-term care can be for individuals, that they may have significant difficulties communicating their needs, as Senator Norris stated, and that they may need to be helped in this process by an appropriately trained person, for example, a speech and...
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is later.
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I want to ask the Minister of State a number of questions on section 39 concerning transitional provisions. I suggest existing residents need clarity regarding what is proposed under section 39. It is very important that existing residents are not disadvantaged under the Bill. Do the provisions contained in this section mean the subvention rates for existing residents will not increase?...
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. I also asked if increases will be given to people if the cost of care goes up and if they would not be financially disadvantaged. Is that allowed within the scheme?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: What will happen to people who stay under this scheme? Will they not be effectively forced into the new scheme?
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It effectively means people who are already in nursing homes will have to move into the scheme because, assuming increased costs, the current subvention will not then cover the costs of their care. People will have to move into the scheme, given that the Minister of State said there will be no increases, even if costs go up.
- Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister of State might return to the issue on Report Stage and see whether clarity can be provided on that aspect of the Bill.