Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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1335. To ask the Minister for Health the budget for residential care in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13005/23]

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.

The budget for the provision of long-term residential care services under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme for the years 2020 – 2023 was as follows:

2020 - €1.036bn 2021 - €1.052bn 2022 - €1.053bn 2023 - €1.094bn

In addition, since the start of the pandemic, private and voluntary nursing homes have also received a wide range of non-financial supports, including over €74m in free PPE and oxygen, as well as over €148m of financial support through the Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS).

A €10 million Temporary Inflation Payment Scheme (TIPS) was also introduced to support private and voluntary nursing homes with increases in energy costs in 2022. The scheme covers 75% of year-on-year cost increases in energy and heating, up to a monthly cap of €5,250 per nursing home, to initially cover the period of July to December 2022. Eligible nursing homes can claim three-quarters of €7,000 of vouched expenses overall, up to a maximum of €31,500 per nursing home.

Cognisant of the present financial pressures, Ministers and Departmental officials continue to consider other measures to further support the nursing home sector.