Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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168. To ask the Minister for Health if he has been provided with an estimate of the increase in nursing home running costs; if the payment levels towards running costs under the fair deal scheme will be re-evaluated; and the provision that has been made for this in the estimates for 2023. [50443/22]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has provided substantial supports to the nursing home sector over the course of the pandemic. Over €144 million has been claimed by nursing homes under the Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) since its introduction in 2020. The Government has now agreed to extend TAPS to the end of the year by maintaining the availability of Outbreak Assistance support. The scheme will also be refocused on addressing this year's inflationary pressures related to energy and heating, whilst continuing to support nursing homes with the cost of managing COVID-19 outbreaks. Details are being finalised and these will be communicated in the coming days.

Substantial additional supports have also been provided by the HSE in terms of serial testing, PPE, the deployment of specialist teams and other services. Many of these supports continue.

Funding to support people to access services in the sector continues to be provided in line with the long-established statutory mechanisms under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009. This is the mechanism established by the Oireachtas to provide for the processes relating to funding under the NHSS and the negotiation of prices for services for private and voluntary providers with the designated State agency, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). Maximum prices for individual nursing homes are agreed with the NTPF following negotiations and based on the NTPF’s cost criteria. These criteria include:

- Costs reasonably incurred by the nursing home- Local market prices- Historic prices- Overall budgetary capacity

The NTPF carry out this role independently under the NHSS Act 2009 and there is no role for Ministers or the Department in these negotiations. It should also be noted that the Department continues to work with the NTPF to take forward the recommended actions that emerged from the review of the NTPF pricing system published in June 2021.

As I announced prior to Budget Day, my priority over the past weeks has been to secure additional funding for Budget 2023 to ensure the continuation of all services to a high standard. Long-term residential care will be supported through €47 million of additional funding for the Nursing Home Support Scheme to maintain services and manage inflationary increases.

In addition, the Department is also taking forward the nine recommendations of the Value for Money Review on Nursing Home costs published last December.