The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, is coming under increasing pressure from Fianna Fáil backbenchers over proposals from Minister for Health Mary Harney to recoup the cost of long-term nursing home care from the estates of elderly people after they die.
Senior backbench TDs said yesterday there was growing concern about the proposed scheme and there needed to be more thought and discussion on the issue before the Government proceeded with the plan.
Last night, Fianna Fáil TD Michael Woods said, although Mary Harney's scheme was well thought-out and represented a major improvement, it was unfair that the elderly were the only group being asked to pay a special charge for their care. He called on the Government to look at the possibility of paying towards the cost of elderly care from the social insurance fund.
"In fact they could look at doing a bit of both - using the social insurance fund and an element of Mary Harney's plan as well," Mr Woods, a former minister for social welfare, told The Irish Times. "There has to be some discussion and further consultation."
Laois-Offaly Fianna Fáil TD Seán Fleming said although he accepted that Ms Harney's scheme was a genuine attempt to deal with a problem, there needed to be more thought and discussion.
While the plan would raise around €100 million, the total health budget for the next year was €15 billion. "So we are talking about a figure that is two-thirds of a per cent of the total health budget. Surely something could be done."
Mr Fleming said that, on the one hand, the old-age pension had been increased to over € 200 a week in the Budget, but a week later there was a plan where people would have to pay for their elderly care after they died. "We have a general election in six months' time and this is not the time to start picking unnecessary rows," he said.
Cork North Central Fianna Fáil TD Noel O'Flynn said the Taoiseach should establish a Cabinet sub-committee to discuss the issue. "There is disquiet in the parliamentary party and this was manifested at a meeting last week. It would be wise for the Taoiseach to investigate this more. We need to have more discussion."
At a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday last, Ms Harney briefed TDs on the plan and many expressed the view that it was too controversial to unveil in the lead-up to a general election. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was present at the meeting.
Speaking on RTÉ radio's This Week programme yesterday, Ms Harney expressed surprise that some of her parliamentary colleagues had expressed criticism of the scheme.
"This is an option we are giving people and it is a hell of a lot better than forcing people, as we do at the moment, to sell the house in order to pay for the care," she said.