Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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345. To ask the Minister for Health his views on expanding the fair deal scheme so that it can be used to fund home care supports as well as residential care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37866/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Nursing Homes Support Scheme is a system of financial support for individuals who require long-term nursing home care. The total budget for long-term residential care in 2014 is €939m. However, €23m was transferred from the Nursing Homes Support Scheme at the beginning of 2014 to provide additional community services, with a view to allowing more older people to be supported in their own homes and communities for longer. With this extra funding for community services, the HSE is currently developing far more intensive home care packages to keep more dependent people at home. This initiative is in addition to the budget of €315m already provided for home care packages and home help services.

The funding available for the Scheme is already stretched to meet the needs of the residential sector and there is no scope to expand the Scheme to cover home care supports. However the Scheme is currently the subject of a Review which will consider the case for applying a similar funding model to community based services and to other sectors (Disability and Mental Health). It is expected that the Review will be completed in the coming months and a report will then be made publicly available. As the Scheme is statutory based, the implementation of any recommendations arising from the review may require amendments to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act, 2009.