Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

My issue relates somewhat to what Senator White has raised, and I support her points. I have come from a committee meeting this morning where we did not know which Minister we should contact about an issue. I ask the Leader to ask the Government to issue a document today to all Members of the House to clarify the roles within the new Ministries. It is extremely important that we know to whom we should direct our concerns.

I want to raise the issue of the fair deal scheme, which was set up to assist people who had to move into nursing homes, whether public, private or voluntary. The current system provides that the person who is moving in contributes 80% of their assessable income and 7.5% of the value of their assets on an annual basis, or they can forgo that during their life. That scheme has worked quite well but, in recent months, something has started to occur across the country, where nursing homes have requested extra money from residents for extra facilities, some of which they are not availing of. This is causing great distress to elderly people in the nursing homes and to their families. In some cases, they are being asked for an extra €1,000 per annum. If one considers the 80% contribution that is taken off their pensions, there is very little left weekly to pay for their personal needs, yet they are now being asked for more money.

My understanding was that the facilities that were provided in a nursing home were catered for under the 80% contribution but another charge is now creeping in. I ask the Leader to get clarity on this matter from the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who I believe is responsible. It is causing untold distress. I have been told by families of residents that the answer they got from the nursing homes was that they should pay the money. The reality is that those families do not have it because they are strapped for cash themselves. I am looking for clarity on this issue before we break for the summer recess. It has been going on for too long and it is starting to get legs now. We should not allow it to go on any longer.