David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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403. To ask the Minister for Health the total additional funding paid to date to nursing homes under temporary assistance payment schemes related to Covid-19; the length of time this will continue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3271/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Temporary Assistance Payments Scheme (TAPS) was originally established to support the private and voluntary nursing home sector in the early months of the pandemic and has now been extended to June 2021 to continue that support.

€92.5 million was allocated to the scheme for 2020, with additional funding of €42 million secured to extend the scheme to June 2021. As of 15 January 2021, a total of €63.6 million had been paid out under the scheme.

TAPS is an integral element of a range of supports provided to private and voluntary nursing homes during the pandemic, including:

- enhanced HSE engagement;

- temporary HSE governance arrangements;

- multidisciplinary clinical supports at CHO level through 23 COVID-19 Response Teams;

- access to supply lines for PPE, medical oxygen;

- provision by the HSE of precautionary and outbreak management PPE;

- serial testing in nursing homes;

- access to staff from community and acute hospitals;

- suite of focused guidance, including comprehensive guidance on visiting nursing homes - the latest version of which now fully aligns with the 5-level framework;

- temporary accommodation to nursing home staff; and

- HIQA’s COVID-19 quality assurance regulatory framework.