Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 119: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the members of the working group established to review the Health Nursing Homes Act 1990 and associated regulations. [14679/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The membership list of the working group is as follows: Mr. Jimmy Duggan, principal officer, Department of Health and Children, chair; Mr. James Conway, programme manager, Health Service Executive, mid-western area; Ms Valerie Nagle, health economist, HSE, eastern regional area; Ms Anne Vaughan, principal officer, planning unit, Department of Social and Family Affairs; Mr. Joe Mooney, principal officer, Department of Finance; Ms Marie Kennedy, acting appeals officer, appeals office, St. Joseph's Hospital; Ms Aileen O'Doherty, Irish Association of Older People, University College Dublin; Ms Ellen Dillon, Federation of Irish Nursing Homes; Mr. Maurice O'Connell, chief executive, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland; Mr. Pat Quinlan, Federation of Catholic Voluntary Nursing Homes; Mr. Bob Carroll, director, National Council on Ageing and Older People; Ms Máiread Hayes, development officer, Irish Senior Citizens Parliament; Mr. Paul Costello, chief executive, Irish Nursing Homes Organisation Limited; Mr. Enda Egan, chief executive officer, the Carers Association; Mr. Noel Brett, former regional manager SFOP, Western Health Board; Mr. Aidan Browne, national director for primary, community and continuing care, Health Service Executive, former assistant CEO, community service, North Eastern Health Board; Ms Ann Coyle, HSE, north eastern area; Dr. Bernard Walsh, consultant physician, St. James's Hospital; Mr. David Wolfe, assistant principal, Department of Health and Children; Mr. Derek Finnegan, higher executive officer, Department of Health and Children; Ms Julie Ling, nursing adviser, Department of Health and Children; and Mr. Des Tracey, executive officer, Department of Health and Children.

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 was established in early 2005. 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 the intention that there will be discussions with relevant interest groups.