Tom Shehan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He has reiterated today that nothing will be done for nursing homes by way of these provisions in terms of their being exempt from rates. I know of a lady with no remaining family who has been in a nursing home for nine years. She is fortunate to be accommodated under the fair deal scheme. The State has been moving away from the provision of beds for the elderly through community hospitals and county homes. It all seems to be moving into the private sector and nursing homes. For many people, however, private nursing home charges of anywhere between €700 and €1,000 per week are financially prohibitive.

Will the Minister of State check what the cost to the Exchequer would be if rates were removed from nursing homes providing end-of-life care? That is the first obstacle we would have to overcome. Such a development would be a practical and compassionate way of giving something back to older people and their families. To be clear, I am not digging out here for the care providers, which is to say the nursing home owners. I am saying that for elderly people and their families who are paying between €700 and €1,000 per week for this care because they cannot get a bed in a community hospital, we should weigh the situation up and introduce some degree of fairness into it. If these homes were exempt from rates, we would be looking at a substantial reduction in charges. Many of them provide an excellent level of care - it could be described in many instances as deluxe or five star - which includes occupational therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractor services and so on. I hope the Minister of State will bear in mind the position for many older people. I will be in that situation much sooner than he will.