Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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953. To ask the Minister for Health the details of all meetings between his Department and Nursing Homes Ireland from 2011 to date, in tabular form. [13821/17]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Since 2011 officials from the Department have met regularly with various stakeholders, including Nursing Homes Ireland, both formally and informally. During that period meetings with NHI have discussed a wide range of issues including the review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, funding of Long Term Care, residential care standards, recruitment and workforce planning. NHI was also represented on Working Groups chaired by the Department which considered the Care and Welfare Regulations and Towards a Restraint Free Environment in Nursing Homes. In November 2016 NHI presented to the Interdepartmental Working Group established to oversee certain recommendation contained in the Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. My Department does not maintain a register of formal and informal meetings with stakeholders, such meetings are typically part of the normal course of business, across a wide variety of issues.

As Minister with responsibility for Older People, I met with representatives from NHI in July 2016. I also invited them to participate in meetings I had in September 2016 and January 2017 with older persons’ representative groups.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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954. To ask the Minister for Health the details of all meetings from 2011 to date between the National Treatment Purchase Fund and Nursing Homes Ireland in tabular form. [13822/17]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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955. To ask the Minister for Health the details of all meetings from 2011 to date between the National Treatment Purchase Fund, Health Information and Quality Authority and Nursing Homes Ireland, in tabular form. [13823/17]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 954 and 955 together.

Both the Health Information and Quality Authority and the National Treatment Purchase Fund are independent in the performance of their functions. The Department of Health does not maintain a register of meetings either agency would have with various third-party stakeholders.