Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of applications received under the fair deal scheme to date; the number of applications that have been processed to date; the average time it takes to process an application; the number of applicants refused support through the fair deal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20294/10]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons who have applied for the nursing home support scheme to date; the number who have applied for a nursing home loan under this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20225/10]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a review has been carried out of the administration of the financial assessment of persons applying for the nursing home fair deal scheme in view of the difficulties encountered by some hospitals in discharging patients who are ready for nursing home care but whose financial assessment has been delayed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20200/10]

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 61 and 128 together.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal, commenced on the 27th October 2009. Its purpose is to equalise State support for public and private nursing home residents, and to offer assurance to one of the most vulnerable groups in society - those in need of long-term nursing home care - that care will be affordable and will remain affordable for as long as they need it.

Under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009, the HSE has statutory authority for administering the scheme. Applications are processed in accordance with the Act and the HSE's Guidelines on the Standardised Implementation of the Scheme which were approved by the Minister for Health and Children. This framework ensures a consistent approach across the HSE to the processing of applications.

Since the introduction of the scheme, the HSE has been dealing with a large volume of applications from both existing residents and new entrants. The HSE estimates that it has received over 9,000 applications and that it has processed over half of these to date. In addition over 1,400 applications for Ancillary State support have been received, of which over 600 have been completed. The HSE estimates that approximately 50 applications for State support have been refused on the basis that the applicant's assessed means exceeded the cost of care. Finally, the HSE informs me that an extremely small number of applications have been refused on the grounds that the applicant was assessed as not needing long-term nursing home care.

The normal timelines for processing applications and making a determination regarding financial support vary according to individual circumstances and complexities. It has taken longer than normal to process applications to date because of the large initial volume of applications received following the introduction of the new scheme. This should improve once the scheme has settled down.

However, I wish to emphasise that any delay in processing applications should not impact negatively on individuals due to the safeguards provided within the primary legislation.

The legislation provides that applicants who were in nursing home care on the date the scheme commenced shall have their State support backdated to that date. Furthermore, anyone who was in receipt of subvention prior to the commencement of the scheme continues to have their subvention paid while their application is being processed. Once their application has been determined, the backdated State support will be netted off against the subvention already paid. In practice, what this means is that people will not be paid twice for the same care but will have State support under the new scheme paid from the 27th October 2009.

For new entrants to nursing home care after the 27th October 2009, financial support will be paid either from the date that the application was made or from date of admission to the nursing home, whichever is the later.

Unfortunately, due to the current industrial action, this is the most up to date information available to me. I regret that I do not have any more information at present but if the Deputies wishes to raise this matter again once the current industrial action has ceased, I will endeavour to have the matter re-examined at that stage.