The plan to make the elderly help pay for their long-term care has been described as a "fiasco" today after it emerged that the €110-million budget for the scheme is being spent in other areas of the health service.
The delay in implementing the "Fair Deal" scheme, which was due to begin at the start of the year, is because of difficulties bringing forth a law which is consistent with constitutional property rights.
Labour health spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said the Government only pulled back on rushing through legislation to give effect to the scheme last December due to Opposition pressure.
The heads of a bill were approved by Cabinet in January but have still not been put to the Oireachtas.
This is mainly because the plan to make residents in nursing homes and long-term care pay a levy of up to 15 per cent of the value of their estate when they die raises constitutional issues over the right to property.
Elderly residents would also pay a maximum of 80 per cent of their disposable income towards their nursing home costs, while the State would pay the balance.
The Irish Timesthis morning quotes sources saying at least 10 drafts of the bill have been produced, without any indication that the legal problems will be resolved. It is being dealt with at the "highest level" in the Attorney General's office, the newspaper reported.
"It is now apparent that in line with this Government's predisposition to rushing through half-baked laws, the scheme was simply not properly thought through," Ms O'Sullivan said.
The issue need to be resolved urgently and suggested and some of the €110 million should be set aside to top up the existing system of subventions for families with difficulties meeting the cost of nursing home care, she added.