Since 1993, there has been an unprecedented level of investment in the nursing home subvention scheme and €5 million was allocated for the scheme when it was introduced in 1993. However, due to a range of factors such as demographics, increasing levels of dependency, economic circumstances, etc., the costs of the scheme have risen significantly. In 1994, the first full year in which the scheme operated, the cost was €15.2 million. The total expenditure on the scheme in 2003 will be almost €110 million. The most recent information available indicates that approximately 455 nursing homes have been registered, with 7,580 people in receipt of subvention.