Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if, in circumstances where a child has purchased a home jointly with their parent but the parent has undertaken none of the payments towards the mortgage, the assessment under the fair deal will regard the parent as owning a 50% share, or would that share be reduced to take into account the fact that the parent had made no contribution towards the purchase costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12085/10]

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, the financial assessment takes all the applicant's income and assets into account, including items which were transferred within five years of making an initial application for the scheme. The definition of asset extends to all forms of property in which the applicant has a beneficial interest. Furthermore, the legislation provides that, where there are multiple owners of an asset, each owner shall be assumed to have an equal interest in the asset unless the HSE is satisfied that this is not the case. Accordingly, in the circumstances outlined above, the applicant would be assumed to own 50% of the asset in question unless he or she satisfied the HSE that this was not the case.