Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No 305 of 26 June 2007, if she will direct the Health Service Executive to make contact with all persons who have recently been refused or who are on reduced subventions in order that people will receive their rights; and if she will make the 15% cap retrospective to cover payments at least to the date when she announced the introduction of this scheme. [19432/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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There are approximately 13,785 private patients in private nursing homes throughout the country. It would not be administratively feasible for the HSE to contact every person currently in a private nursing home.

After the new nursing home support scheme — A Fair Deal — was announced in December 2006, leaflets giving details of the new scheme, and also giving information about the increased subvention payments for 2007, were distributed to Local Health Offices. This information, as well as the new National Guidelines for the Standardised Implementation of the Nursing Home Subvention Scheme, was also made available on the HSE website. The leaflet advised that anyone currently in a private nursing home, or planning to enter a private nursing home, should contact their Local Health Office to apply for a subvention or an increased subvention.

In accordance with the National Guidelines for the Standardised Implementation of the Nursing Home Subvention Scheme, the HSE will cease imputing income from the principal private residence where it has already been taken into account for three or more years. This change is consistent with A Fair Deal. However, it would not be possible to apply this retrospectively as to do so would be unfair to all those who have already been assessed.