MINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney expects a decision shortly on allocating funding for the "fair deal" scheme, to be used instead for nursing home subvention payments.
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, taking the Order of Business in the Dáil, said that Department of Health officials "are in discussion with the Minister for Finance and we would hope to have a decision fairly quickly".
The Minister was responding to Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton who asked if the € 110 million allocated for the proposed nursing home scheme, had been "raided to finance other activities for which it has not been assigned".
Ms Coughlan said the Minister for Health had "carefully considered the question of allowing some of the funding allocated for the fair deal to be used for nursing homes subvention". She also told the Dáil that the long-awaited legislation on the implementation of the "fair deal" scheme to fund nursing homes was now expected in July.
The Government announced details 18 months ago, of its scheme to finance nursing home care, but significant legal obstacles have hindered the drafting of the legislation. Through the scheme the State would claim a proportion of all disposable income, as well as up to 15 per cent of the estate after the death of a nursing home resident.
Mr Bruton also pointed to the €50 million assigned for the support of people with a disability. "We voted through this money for the purpose of assisting the most vulnerable in the community and we are entitled to know what is happening to it. Is it being raided to finance other activities for which it was not assigned?"
The Minister insisted that "we are addressing the issues of concern that we all have in regard to the fair deal".