Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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323. To ask the Minister for Health the number of properties owned by patients in the nursing homes support scheme by local authority area; and the number of those properties that are vacant by local authority area in tabular form. [10916/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As these are operational matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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324. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons in nursing homes under the fair deal scheme that have a residential property registered in their name which is included as part of the assessment for the scheme; the number of these homes that have a family member residing in them; the number of homes that are rented or generating an income; and the number that are vacant. [10917/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As these are operational matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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325. To ask the Minister for Health the progress of the nursing homes support scheme (amendment) Bill; and the projected timeline for that Bill. [10918/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing Homes Support Scheme, commonly referred to as the Fair Deal Scheme, has been in operation for over 10 years and there is broad agreement that the Scheme operates well and continues to provide appropriate financial assistance where it is required.

However, it is recognised that the Act, in its current form, does not place caps on the financial assessment of family owned and operated farms or businesses when calculating the means to pay for nursing home care. This places a potentially onerous burden on family successors and could challenge the future viability of these productive assets.

Therefore, the Department of Health has proposed a policy change to the Scheme, to cap contributions based on farm and business assets at three years where a family successor commits to working the productive asset. The stated policy objective of the legislation is to introduce additional safeguards in the Scheme to further protect the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses that will be passed down to the next generation of the family to continue to work them as productive assets to provide for their livelihood.

This change was approved by Government and underwent pre-legislative scrutiny in the last Dáil. Progress on the development of the Bill was negatively impacted by the dissolution of the last Dáil and by the COVID-19 pandemic. The response to the pandemic has been and continues to be a national and public health priority. However, work on this legislation has continued to progress. I requested a waiver to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny from the Business Committee, given this was already undertaken in the previous Dáil, and this waiver was granted on 4th February 2021. I have met with the Attorney General to discuss this legislation, and there has been an ongoing and active engagement between the Department of Health and the Office of the Attorney General on the development of the legislation, which will be brought to the Houses of the Oireachtas at the earliest possible opportunity. It is on the priority list for publication in the Spring legislative session. The Bill will be enacted upon completion of all stages in the Oireachtas and signed into law by the President.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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326. To ask the Minister for Health the status of his Department’s examination of the treatment under the nursing home support scheme’s financial assessment of income from a person’s principal private residence. [10919/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as 'Fair Deal', is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. The primary legislation underpinning the NHSS is the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009. Participants in the NHSS contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.

Under the NHSS, rental income is considered as ‘income’ for the purpose of a financial assessment of means and is currently assessed at 80% less any allowable deductions. Assets are assessed at 7.5% of their annual value for the duration of an individual participant’s time on the scheme, with the exception of the principal private residence, which is only assessed for the first three years.

The current Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to “reforming the Fair Deal scheme to incentivise the renting out of vacant properties”. My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on how to take this forward.

However, there are significant complexities in relation to any changes being made to the NHSS, particularly with regard to ensuring the ongoing fair, equitable, and sustainable operation of the scheme. My Department must also be sure that any change delivers a genuine impact and offers value for money. On this basis, all competing interests and relevant issues must be fully considered.

My department is liaising closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to develop an evidence base around the issue and consider potential policy measures.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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327. To ask the Minister for Health the progress of the commitment in the programme for Government to reform the fair deal scheme to incentivise the rental of vacant properties. [10920/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as 'Fair Deal', is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. The primary legislation underpinning the NHSS is the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009. Participants in the NHSS contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.

Under the NHSS, rental income is considered as ‘income’ for the purpose of a financial assessment of means and is currently assessed at 80% less any allowable deductions. Assets are assessed at 7.5% of their annual value for the duration of an individual participant’s time on the scheme, with the exception of the principal private residence, which is only assessed for the first three years.

The current Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to “reforming the Fair Deal scheme to incentivise the renting out of vacant properties”. My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on how to take this forward.

However, there are significant complexities in relation to any changes being made to the NHSS, particularly with regard to ensuring the ongoing fair, equitable, and sustainable operation of the scheme. My Department must also be sure that any change delivers a genuine impact and offers value for money. On this basis, all competing interests and relevant issues must be fully considered.

My department is liaising closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to develop an evidence base around the issue and consider potential policy measures.