David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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15. To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied there are sufficient nursing home beds to meet demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27651/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Residential care in Ireland is provided through a mix of public, voluntary and private provision. According to the Health Information and Quality Authority there were 29,060 beds registered with them during 2014.

At this point in time, while there are some areas where supply is tight, in overall terms there are enough nursing home beds to meet demand. However, between now and 2024 the population over 65 years is projected to increase by about 200,000 people. Based upon current trends those requiring long-term care will increase by about 9,000 over the same period.In that context, it is important to both maintain and modernise our existing stock, particularly of public beds, and to ensure that sufficient additional capacity is provided across the public and private sectors to meet future demand. My Department is examining how this can best be achieved, and is committed to ensuring that support continues to be available through the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, that there are adequate beds available for those who need them, and that relevant public funds and other resources are applied in the most efficient way possible and deliver value for money.

In this context my Department has engaged DKM Economic Consultants to identify the policy options that are available to address future requirements for nursing home capacity, and to undertake a Cost Benefit Analysis of these options. I will take careful account of the conclusions of this exercise in planning for the coming years.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) provides financial assistance for those in long term residential care. The NHSS budget in 2015 is €993 million, which includes an additional €54 million provided by Government in 2015. This additional funding comprises €10 million provided in Budget 2015 to support an additional 300 places and a further €44 million provided in April to support an additional 1,600 places. The Scheme is continuing to take on new clients and it is estimated that by the end of the year it will be supporting in excess of 23,900 people.

When the Scheme commenced, a commitment was made that it would be reviewed after three years. This review is considering the Scheme's long term viability as well as looking at how well the current model of provision is balancing residential care in the community, and whether this needs to be adjusted to better reflect what older people want. The review is almost completed and is expected to be published shortly.