Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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168. To ask the Minister for Health the accountability in place for nursing homes relating to the allocation of public monies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40669/20]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme for nursing homes, also known as TAPS, provides financial assistance to private and voluntary nursing homes to support their preparedness in relation to COVID-19 and to manage outbreaks, if and when they present.

The initial duration of the Scheme was for 3 months from April to June 2020, however the Scheme has been extended twice since the initial approval and is now in place until the end of June 2021. The initial funding sanction has been increased accordingly and a total of €92.5m is being made available in 2020 and a further €42m is available for 2021. As of 1 December 2020, there have been 4,110 claims processed and 3,833 paid. The total value of the TAPS payments is €57,070,864.

The Scheme's guidelines and associated documentation are publicly available at .

The core concept of the scheme is that the State will provide additional funding to those nursing homes that require it, to contribute towards support measures associated with COVID-19 preparedness, mitigation and outbreak management. There is an overall monthly funding cap, which is the maximum amount that may be paid in respect of each month to a Nursing Home under the scheme.

Where a nursing home applies for an assistance payment through the scheme, the nursing home may only claim for those additional allowable costs, as set out in the Scheme details. The nursing home must vouch that all amounts claimed are in relation to those allowable costs arising as a result of the impact of COVID-19. In some cases, where an outbreak has been experienced and a claim is made under the outbreak assistance component of the scheme, the claim requires independently certified verification.

The HSE administers the scheme and makes payments to nursing homes. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) administers the application process and provides support and advice to the HSE. Regular reports of Scheme activity, including claims and payments, are produced and monitored by the HSE and submitted to the Department. External Auditors were appointed in April 2020 to perform audits of a sample of TAPS claims submitted each month by nursing homes to assess compliance with the scheme guidelines.

The scheme is under continuous review and engagement with the sector is ongoing.