Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 227: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason a person must fund their entire nursing home care (details supplied); and the entitlements which accrue to a person who has made PAYE and PRSI contributions for almost 80 years. [24302/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The nursing home subvention scheme was introduced to give financial assistance to people who avail of private nursing home care. The payment of a subvention is contingent on the applicant passing a dependency and means assessment. The scheme is set up to ensure that those most in need, medically and financially, benefit from the scheme in the context of increasing demands on available resources. Eligibility for a subvention payment is assessed by the HSE based on a person's circumstances at the time of the assessment, not on the amount of PAYE, PRSI or any other contributions that the person may have made prior to the assessment.