Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath for coming to the House to deal with the issue pertaining to the nursing homes support scheme, known as the fair deal scheme. As I understand it, a review was to be carried out but the representative organisation, Nursing Homes Ireland, and all those involved in providing nurse home care under the fair deal scheme were led to believe that the review would be carried out as long ago as 2016. Nothing has occurred and a number of different dates were mentioned as to when the review be published but that has not happened.

The major challenge facing nursing homes is that their costs have risen. The cost of nursing staff and of care assistants has risen. A significant number of staff, who previously worked in the nursing home sector have been taken on by the HSE and nursing homes are finding it difficult to employ others to replace them because their charges are stuck at the same level as they were four or five years ago, whereas costs have continued to increase. A review was promised, dates were set out at an Oireachtas joint committee as to when the review would be published. This has not happened and at this stage clarification needs to be provided in order that the nursing homes can continue to provide the service to the approximately 23,500 people who are in private nursing homes under the fair deal scheme.

We have a growing elderly population and there will be more demands on the system and people are not encouraged to invest in this sector unless they know that what they will be paid for the service they provide corresponds to the rising costs of running these facilities.

I ask the Minister of State for clarification on this matter.