Together with considerable investment in health board facilities and community care, substantial additional resources have also been made available for the nursing home subvention scheme. As Members will be aware, the Health (Nursing Homes) Act 1990, under which subvention regulations were made, has two principal objectives: first to ensure high standards of accommodation and care in all nursing homes registered under the Act, and second to provide a new system of nursing home subvention so that dependent persons most in need of nursing home care will have access to such care. Additional funding of €87.8 million was made available in 2002 for further development of the services, including enhancement of the nursing home subvention scheme, provision of additional home helps, improving community based services and other services provided in community hospitals and day care centres, additional respite care and support for carers.