Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 13: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she has estimated the cost of increasing the high rate of nursing home subvention from €190.50 to €300, and the cost of raising the threshold for enhanced subvention from €680 to €800; her views on the likely cost and the impact on take up of nursing home subvention; and if she will make a statement on her Department's attitude to such reforms. [17550/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993 are administered by the Health Service Executive. There are currently three rates of subvention payable, i.e. €114.30, €152.40 and €190.50 for the three levels of dependency which are medium, high and maximum. There are no plans to increase the subvention rates at present.

The HSE has discretion to pay more than the maximum rate of subvention relative to an individual's level of dependency in a case, for example, where personal funds are exhausted. The application of these provisions in an individual case is a matter for the HSE in the context of meeting increasing demands for subvention, subject to the provisions of the Health Act, 2004. The average rate of subvention paid by the HSE generally exceeds the current approved basic rates.

I wish to advise the Deputy that additional funding of €20 million was provided for the administration of the Nursing Home Subvention Scheme in 2006, bringing the total available budget to €161 million. The supports paid by the HSE vary from person to person and region to region, depending on prices for example. Accordingly, the Department is not in a position to estimate the costs of increasing the maximum basic rate to €300 and the enhanced rate to €800. However, additional funding of €20 million has been provided this year to the HSE to support more basic nursing home subventions and reduce waiting lists for enhanced subventions; it is also to bring more consistency to subventions support throughout the country.

The Deputy will be aware that the Tánaiste and Minister Séamus Brennan established a Working Group to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care, including residential care. The report of that Working Group on the Future Financing of Long-Term Care has been presented to Government and is currently being considered by Cabinet.