Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 207: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on whether a new national policy on long-term care of persons in nursing homes must be reviewed; her further views on whether it is vital that a substantial increase in the subvention rate for nursing home care is awarded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34743/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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It is the intention of the Department to put in place a more robust regulatory system as quickly as possible to protect vulnerable older people and to provide for the highest possible standards of care for older people in long-stay facilities. It is intended that the Health Bill 2005 will establish both the HIQA and the SSI on a statutory basis and will contain provisions to underpin a more robust inspectorate system.

The Nursing Homes (Care and Welfare) Regulations 1993, made under the Health (Nursing Homes) Act 1990, set out the standards to which private nursing homes must adhere. The Health Service Executive currently carries out inspections in private nursing homes. In the context of the Health Bill 2005, the process has begun to review the current system with a view to strengthening the powers available to those involved in inspecting facilities and to extend a strengthened inspection system to public facilities.

It is also intended that the Bill will provide for the setting and monitoring of standards for residential facilities for older people. To this end, the Department has commenced a review of the Nursing Homes (Care and Welfare) Regulations 1993, and will be working in conjunction with the HSE, the SSI and other relevant bodies, with the intention of developing a new set of standards that would apply to all residential services for older people. The Department is also currently working on primary legislation to expand the policies and principles of the subvention scheme to facilitate implementation of the scheme by the HSE throughout the country, and it is the intention to bring this legislation before the Oireachtas in the near future. It is also intended to increase the thresholds contained in the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations 1993. These thresholds have not been updated since being set in 1993 and increasing them will render an increased number of people eligible for subvention.

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 all issues surrounding the financing of long-term care. Following on the publication of this report, 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. The objective of this group is to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care, including improvements in community care, taking into account 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. I understand that the group is addressing the issue of residential care for older people. This group will soon report to the Tánaiste and to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs.