Written answers

Tuesday, 18 October 2005

Department of Health and Children

Nursing Home Subventions

9:00 pm

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 248: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if it is Government policy for the value of a person's residence to be taken into account when decisions are being taken regarding levels of subvention or enhanced subvention to be paid in respect of nursing home assistance for persons with Alzheimer's or dementia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28758/05]

Photo of Seán PowerSeán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Health (Nursing Homes) Act 1990 allows for the payment of a subvention towards the cost of private nursing home care based on a dependency and means assessment. The criteria used in determining a person's eligibility for subvention are set out in the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations 1993. The subvention scheme was introduced to assist with the cost of private nursing home care and it was never intended that a subvention payment would meet the full costs of private nursing home care. It should be noted that the regulations governing means assessment were devised to try to provide an equitable system of payment and to direct available resources to those most in need. These regulations apply to all applicants for a subvention.

The Second Schedule to the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations 1993 sets out the general rules for the assessment of means in respect of an application for a nursing home subvention. "Means" for the purposes of these regulations are the income and the imputed value of assets of a person in respect of whom a subvention is being sought and the income and imputed income of his or her spouse. Article 13 of the Second Schedule to the regulations states that the Health Service Executive "may impute an annual income equivalent to 5% of the estimated market value of the principal residence of the person, if it was not occupied immediately prior to or at the time of the application by a spouse, a son or daughter aged less than 21 years or in full time education or a relative in receipt of the disabled person's maintenance allowance, blind person's pernsion, disability benefit, invalidity pension or old age non-contributory pension."

Article 22 of the Second Schedule provides that the executive may refuse to pay a subvention to a person if his or her principal residence is valued at £75,000, €95,230, or more and is not occupied by a spouse, a son or daughter aged less than 21 years or in full time education or a relative in receipt of the disabled person's maintenance allowance, blind person's pension, disability benefit, invalidity pension or old age non-contributory pension and the person's income is greater than €6,350 per annum.

My Department is currently reviewing the subvention scheme and the current thresholds set out in the regulations will be examined as part of that review.

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