Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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716. To ask the Minister for Health if there are impediments to former nursing homes which are no longer in use being considered for emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24847/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Health takes the closures of nursing homes very seriously. The closure of nursing homes can put pressure on other local health and social care facilities. It is vital that the welfare of residents is ensured. There a number of reasons for nursing home closures each year including retirement, non-compliance with HIQA regulations, financial viability and, in some cases, recognition that the premises would not be compliant with revised regulations.

Given the challenges currently being faced in the nursing home sector, Minister Donnelly and I agreed with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Minister Roderic O'Gorman TD, to change the procurement guidelines around accommodation for persons under temporary protection in order to remove from consideration active nursing homes that were still registered operators with HIQA on or after the date of 1 September 2022.

The intention behind this position is to avoid unintentionally incentivising active nursing homes to leave the market. Former nursing homes that had already ceased operation and were deregistered prior to this date would not be affected if they wished to enter into contracts as accommodation providers.

This brings active nursing homes into the same category as other types of property that have been determined to be unsuitable as accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, including:

• Housing set aside for social housing,

• Accommodation planned for use by other arms of Government,

• Student accommodation during academic terms.

Neither the Department of Health nor Minister Donnelly and I has a direct role in the procurement process or the approval of any individual accommodation centres for use by displaced persons.

Minister Donnelly and I are both committed to continuing, constructive cross-Government engagement to address the health and social care needs of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection as well as the identification of appropriate sites for that might be used for accommodation.

Given the changing situation with regard to accommodation for persons under temporary protection, the Department of Health is reviewing the policy agreed with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, with a view to providing longer-term certainty to the nursing home sector and potential providers of temporary accommodation services. The review is imminent.