David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 125: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the progress to date on a policy or framework for the future funding of long term care of the elderly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6048/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The policy of my Department on the care of older people is to maintain them in dignity and independence in their own home for as long as possible in accordance with their wishes, to restore to independence at home those older people who become ill or dependent, to encourage and support the care of older people in their own community by family, neighbours and voluntary bodies and to provide a high quality of hospital and residential care for older people when they can no longer be maintained in dignity and independence at home. Numerous research studies have shown that the vast majority of older people have a preference to remain living in their own home for as long as possible rather than moving into long-stay residential care.

My Department has been encouraging the Health Service Executive to develop personal care packages for older people as an alternative to long-stay residential care. Personal care packages are specifically designed for the individual concerned and could possibly include the provision of a home help service, home subvention payments, arrangements for attendance at a day centre or day hospital and other services such as twilight nursing. Personal care packages allow older persons the option of remaining living in their own home rather than going into long-stay residential care. In addition the HSE provide respite care for older people and this service is seen as an integral part of community support services which are being developed to support older people living in the community.

My Department has established a working group comprising all stakeholders to review the operation and administration of the nursing home subvention scheme following on from the publication of the O'Shea report. The purpose of the review is to develop a scheme which will be transparent, offer a high standard of care for clients, provide equity within the system to include standardised dependency and means testing, be less discretionary, provide both home and nursing home subvention depending on need, be consistent in implementation throughout the country and draw on experience of the operation of the old scheme.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Mercer report on the future financing of long-term care in Ireland, which was commissioned by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, examined issues surrounding the financing of long-term care. A working group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprising senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs has been established following on from the publication of the report. The objective of this group is to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care taking account of the Mercer report, the views of the consultation that was undertaken on that report and the review of the nursing home subvention scheme by Professor Eamon O'Shea. This group has been requested to report to both the Minister for Social and Family Affairs and the Tánaiste by mid 2005. Following this process it is intended that there will be discussions with relevant interest groups on the proposals for the future financing of long-term care for older people.