Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 99: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if a formal directive has been issued to the Health Service Executive on foot of budget 2006 announcement of changes to be implemented in the nursing home subvention scheme; if not, when she proposes these changes to come into effect; and the reason for the delay in the implementation of these changes. [4889/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The changes that were announced on budget day were incorporated into the Nursing Homes (Subvention) (Amendment) Regulations 2005. These regulations amended the thresholds contained in the 1993 regulations by increasing the value of assets to be disregarded for the purposes of subvention assessment from £6,000, €7,618, to €11,000, increasing the asset threshold above which subvention may be refused from £20,000, €25,394, to €36,000 and increasing the threshold of principal residence value above which subvention may be refused from £75,000, €95,230, to €500,000 or more, where the residence is located in the Dublin area, or €300,000 or more, where the residence is located outside the Dublin area, provided that the applicant's income is greater than €9,000. This was previously £5,000 or €6,349.

These regulations were signed by the Tánaiste on 14 December 2005 and came into law effective from that date. The Deputy may wish to note that the HSE continues to retain the discretion to impute an income of 5% of the estimated market value of the principal residence of an applicant for subvention, unless the residence is occupied by a spouse or son or daughter aged less than 21 years or in full-time education or in receipt of the disabled person's maintenance allowance, blind person's pension, disability benefit, invalidity pension or old age non-contributory pension, and generally does so unless there are exceptional circumstances. However, the residence value above which it may automatically refuse to pay a subvention has been increased substantially, as outlined, to take account of increased property values.

The Department has discussed the regulations with the HSE, both during their preparation and since their coming into law and it falls to the HSE to implement the regulations to the various HSE regions.