Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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394. To ask the Minister for Health the additional funding to be provided for the nursing home support scheme in 2020; the full-year cost of same; and the number of additional places to be provided by this funding. [41905/19]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost.

In Budget 2020 the Government has provided an additional €45m investment in the NHSS, increasing its budget to about €1.03bn in 2020. Compared to the 2019 National Service Plan target, this increased investment is projected to support an additional 500 people on average at any one time in long-term residential care in 2020.