John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Senator's understanding is correct. The response is also correct, however, as support can be transferred provided the person is going from one nursing home to another. I take what the Senator has said as something that the Department and the Minister and Ministers of State at the Department must recognise as a huge anomaly. I recall visiting some months ago with Senator Corrigan the facility to which she referred. If I remember correctly, the situation there has been that beds are available and it is a very upmarket facility. I remember spending some time going through it all and realising that while we have people on waiting lists for such accommodation, especially in the mental health area, the sad reality is that under the legislation people cannot apply for the fair deal in this context. To be fair to the Minister, Deputy Harney, she is aware of this and at a recent meeting in the Department we grappled with how to resolve it, not only in the specific case brought to our attention by Senator Corrigan but everywhere, particularly where we consider taking people out of institutionalised settings. Often centres are on the doorstep of institutionalised settings.

In a nutshell, while the response is correct, the money does not follow a person transferring from a nursing home to an unapproved centre. The challenge facing us is to rectify this. It is very important and is an issue which the Minister, Deputy Harney, has placed on the agenda in the Department.