Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The matter I wish to raise is the fair deal scheme and its current structure whereby someone admitted to a nursing home who is an owner would have that land taken into account in calculating the assessment of payment towards nursing home charges. I know of two cases. One is a very sad case as a person who owned land died and the land passed back to the mother; she is now in a nursing home. She transferred the land approximately one year before she went into the nursing home but the process takes into account any land transferred within five years. The person who inherited the land has paid the full whack of inheritance tax but was not entitled to agricultural relief. That person is also now paying the full whack for nursing home charges.

In the second case, the father died and the mother got 50% of the farm while the sons got the other 50%. She developed an illness where she had to be admitted to a nursing home. They are paying €2,500 per month in nursing home charges. There is no way the land is even earning that kind of money but they are required to pay that €2,500 per month. It is in this context I raise the matter.

I have an email from the Department of Health on this issue dated 28 June 2016, believe it or not. I understood there would be some reform in the matter. I know there was a proposal from the Irish Farmers Association to apply the same rules that concern agricultural relief - in other words, there would be a devaluing of land by 90% and taking into account full value of the dwelling house. I am not sure what progress has been made and it is in that context I have raised this morning's matter.