Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the plans of the Health Service Executive for long-term residential care and respite beds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26443/09]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 36: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when she will provide the necessary additional funding for hardship cases in respect of persons in private nursing homes who are being asked to pay the difference between 2007 and 2008 nursing home costs; her views on whether the people concerned were placed in these homes by the Health Service Executive due to the fact that there was insufficient bed spaces available in HSE accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26197/09]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 36 together.

The Minister for Health and Children acknowledges the need to reform the current arrangements for financing nursing home care to ensure that such care is affordable for all. It was with this in mind that she introduced the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal. The Fair Deal will equalise the level of State support available for public and private long-term care recipients. It will remove the real financial hardship currently being experienced by some private nursing home residents by ensuring that care is affordable for all who need it. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008 has now completed all Stages in the Houses of the Oireachtas and has been referred to the President for signature. The Minister intends to implement the new scheme in the final quarter of this year.

At present, approximately two-thirds of nursing home residents are in private nursing homes and the Minister is aware that, in some case, families are experiencing financial hardship. The existing Nursing Home Subvention Scheme provides for two different types of subvention, namely basic subvention and enhanced subvention.

It is the Minister's expectation that the introduction of the Fair Deal later this year will remove real financial hardship from many families who, under the current system of nursing home subvention, may have to sell or re-mortgage their homes to pay for the cost of nursing home care.

The HSE, in conjunction with Prospectus, carried out an assessment of bed capacity requirements in the areas of long-stay, dementia-specific and respite care beds over the period 2006-2008. It looked at both immediate capacity requirements and projected requirements to 2036.

The assessment found that, assuming 4.5% of people over age 65 require long-term residential care, there was a national over-provision of long-stay beds in 2006. However, there was an under-provision of such beds in some parts of the country. It concluded that a significant increase in capacity will be required by 2036, even assuming the percentage of people over age 65 requiring such care was reduced to 4%. It also found there was a significant requirement for replacement, refurbishment or up-grading of existing public bed stock in order to meet modern standards.

Care and Welfare Regulations, which underpin the new Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People were signed by the Minister last week. From today, the Chief Inspector of Social Services in the Health Information and Quality Authority, an independent regulatory body, will have the power to inspect all designated centres for older people - whether in the public, private or voluntary sectors.

Currently, there are about 8,200 public beds and over 17,000 private long-stay residential care beds, i.e. over 25,000 beds in total. It is estimated that, at present, there are about 23,000 people in long-term care. The recommendations from this assessment, together with the availability of Exchequer capital funding and funding for the Fair Deal, will continue to inform the provision of residential care services going forward.

Residential respite care continues to be provided in public community nursing units (including community hospitals/long stay residential units) across the country. There are over 750 designated respite care beds provided nationally in these units. It is estimated that approximately 19,500 people benefit over the course of a full year – based on an average length of stay of 2 weeks per person.

This is a very significant resource which is relied upon by carers across the country and which will continue to be developed as additional public bed capacity is provided.