Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her Department has given consideration to alternative funding mechanisms for the care of older people in nursing homes instead of the proposal to include a portion of the value of the estate of such persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2702/08]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2005, the Minister established an Interdepartmental Working Group on Long-Term Care. The Group was chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprised senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children, and Social and Family Affairs. Its terms of reference included the identification of policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care.

The Group reported to Government in January 2006. It also carefully considered and helped to develop the policy proposals for the new Nursing Home Support Scheme, A Fair Deal.

The Minister has always highlighted that the fundamental objective of the new Fair Deal scheme is to address the inequities within the present arrangements for long-term residential care as a matter of urgency. However, in addition to that, in the recent partnership agreement, Towards 2016, the Government and the social partners agreed to further analysis on financially sustainable options for the future financing of all long-term care services; residential and community-based. While working to put in the place the Fair Deal scheme, the Department has also already commenced work on the wider issue of financing of all long-term care services. The Department hopes to progress this work through the aegis of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Long-Term Care.