Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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Question 343: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 334 of 19 April 2011, if he will provide the actual number of persons who received State therapy services while under the fair deal scheme during each of the years 2009, 2010 and the first three months of 2011. [10212/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As previously advised, there were approximately 1,600 people receiving financial support under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme at the end of 2009. During 2010, over 11,700 people qualified for financial support under the scheme. At end-March 2011, there were approximately 12,380 people in receipt of financial support.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme does not cover therapies because a person's eligibility for other schemes, such as the Medical Card Scheme or the Drugs Payment Scheme, is unaffected by the Scheme. In other words, a person can continue to receive goods and services in accordance with the terms of these other schemes regardless of whether they are in a private nursing home or elsewhere.

In determining the services covered by the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, it was considered very important that the care recipient and the taxpayer would be protected and would not end up paying for the same services twice. For this reason, medications and aids that are already prescribed for individuals under an existing scheme are not included in the services covered by the new Nursing Homes Support Scheme (i.e. as this would involve effectively paying twice for the same items or service).

Individuals who receive State therapy services are not identified separately as individuals receiving financial support under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. Therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is not available.