Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister of State. I thank her for taking the time to come in and deal with this issue. For the record, the question is to ask the Minister of State whether the rate of pay for those who use their homes for the HSE boarding out scheme for elderly people under the boarding out regulations of 1993 could be increased in light of the increasing cost of living and associated costs of running this type of accommodation. It is pretty self-explanatory from the conversation we have on a daily basis in every sector of society with the increased cost of living.

I ask this question this morning specifically on behalf of Lisa and John Corroon in Ballinagore, who have a boarding out home that facilitates six residents. Their residence is somewhat rural and would be five miles from the nearest town. The cost of ferrying their residents to chiropody, physiotherapy and medical and dental appointments has, with the increase in diesel alone, not to mention those relating to food, heating the residence, etc., gone through the roof. This is something of which we are all very much aware.

The regulations were reviewed in 1993. While they have been reviewed since, there has been no change to them. The Corroons rate of pay from the HSE went nine years ago from €90 per week to €110 and then three quarters of the pension. They are getting somewhere in the region of €270 to €280 per person per week. That is one night in an average hotel with breakfast and none of the facilities they are covering. They are unable to survive and continue. That is evident by the fact that very limited numbers of people have availed of the boarding out scheme in recent years. The numbers have dropped off. These people take the maximum six residents, but some very quick and simple sums will tell the Minister of State that the saving by having those six people in this environment as opposed to in a nursing home is approximately one eighth of the cost, depending on what calculations one does. We are looking at a difference of somewhere between €8,000 to €9,000 to €50,000-odd per annum. When you go to look this up, and when I was doing my research this morning, you find there is either very limited or very little information on the HSE website. It is as if it is a secret. It is almost as if it is not wanted because one must go trawling and scratching way below the surface to even find out the basic information. It is as if it is not being promoted or literally not wanted.

Another issue I encountered when I was doing my research is the fact that different community healthcare organisations, CHOs, have different policies and different payment rates. This can cause a major issue for people who are on the borderline and maybe have residents who fall under the jurisdiction of two different CHOs. They will actually be on different rates in the one residence or house.

The kernel of the issue and the key question is that there would be a review of the payment structure. As I said, there is a saving to the State. The fact that it is a smaller facility with a maximum of six residents is very beneficial for our elderly people to be in those kinds of environments. The people who approached me in the case I am using as an example are just one example of this kind of well-run, tight ship. Their residents remain Covid-free. That has been the acid test in all such environments over the last couple of years. They are doing their very best. As I said, they actually kept Covid-19 out of their residence. That is how tight a ship they run. For less than €300 per week, however, they are finding it very hard to survive. They are not making any money out of this; some of their own money is actually going in to keep the show on the road. The matter needs to be reviewed. I hope the Minister of State can look on my request favourably.