Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Health the timeframe for the upgrading of public nursing homes in County Cork to meet Health Information and Quality Authority standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43002/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that long term residential services for older people meet the relevant 'National Quality Standards for Residential Care for Older People in Ireland. The Standards and the associated National Regulations that underpin them encompass issues relevant to the privacy, dignity and respect of residents and seek to support the provision of a physical environment that meets modern day standards and the needs of vulnerable people living in designated services.

The Government's recently published Capital Plan, Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021, commits to a major multi-annual programme of capital investment in public and voluntary provided social care facilities. A total of €200 million in Exchequer funding has been made available to assist residential services for older people to meet the relevant National Standards by 2021.

The HSE is now formulating plans for the application of this additional funding, following which detailed discussions will take place with HIQA. In advance of that it is not possible to comment on specific facilities or locations.