Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on correspondence from a person (details supplied); her plans to address their concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20385/09]

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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At present, there are approximately 15,500 residents in private nursing homes. Of these, approximately 9,000 are in receipt of subvention. A further 3,000 are in "contracted" beds in private nursing homes. People in contract beds pay public nursing home charges and the State pays the balance of the cost. The expenditure on nursing home subventions for residents in registered nursing homes for the year 2007 was €171m, increasing to €202m in 2008. Furthermore, in 2007 the maximum rate of basic subvention was increased to €300 per week to help alleviate the financial burden on residents in private nursing homes pending the introduction of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme.

The Bill for the New Nursing Homes Support Scheme completed Committee Stage in the Dáil on 12th March 2009. It is the Minister for Health and Children's intention to progress the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas with a view to implementing the scheme later this year. The scheme will ensure that nursing home care is affordable for all who need it regardless of whether they choose a public or private nursing home bed. There has been significant investment in long-term care supports for older people over the last few years and Budget 2009 provided a further €55 million specifically for the implementation of the new Nursing Homes Support Scheme this year.

The Deputy will be aware that a new process of the registration and inspection of nursing homes by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will commence from July 1st, 2009. This will introduce an independent system of inspection of both public and private nursing homes.

Residents, their families and the public need to be reassured that HIQA will be monitoring the care people receive and in this regard it is important to have an effective, robust, independent and properly resourced inspection regime for residential services for older people. While the new regime for registration and inspection of all nursing homes will begin this year it is important to note that under the Health Act 2007 statutory responsibility is also given to the Chief Inspector of Social Services for inspecting and registering residential services for children and people with disabilities.

Following analysis of the types of centres, numbers of places, etc. it was a decided to set a registration fee of €500, payable every 3 years by each nursing home together with an annual fee of €190 per place in each registered centre. It is estimated that this will generate a minimum income of about €4.5 million which would cover the minimum annual additional funding required without putting an excessive burden on smaller residential units. The fees as calculated cover staff costs only; non-pay costs such as accommodation and equipment are coming from the overall HIQA budget. It is further estimated that the fee will represent an average weekly cost of €3.73 per registered place. Finally I can confirm to the Deputy that it is intended that the Department will carry out a review of these charges in 2010.