180 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons approved for funding and receiving funding under the fair deal scheme of nursing home support by the end of December 2010. [12868/11]

181 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons approved for funding and receiving funding under the fair deal scheme of nursing home support at the end of January 2011. [12869/11]

182 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons approved for funding and receiving funding under the fair deal scheme of nursing home support at the end of February 2011. [12870/11]

183 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons approved for funding and receiving funding under the fair deal scheme of nursing home support at the end of March 2011. [12871/11]

184 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons approved for funding and receiving funding under the fair deal scheme of nursing home support at the end of April 2011. [12872/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 to 184, inclusive, together.

The total number of people whose applications have been determined is set out below. The number of people who have been supported under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme from end-December 2010 to end April 2011 is as follows:

185 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the level of funding provided for the fair deal scheme during the month of January 2011. [12873/11]

186 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the level of funding provided for the fair deal scheme during the month of February 2011. [12874/11]

187 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the level of funding provided for the fair deal scheme during the month of March 2011. [12875/11]

188 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the level of funding provided for the fair deal scheme during the month of April 2011. [12876/11]

193 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children, during April 2011, the levels of funding being provided to persons under the fair deal scheme. [12881/11]

198 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the level of funding set aside for the fair deal scheme for 2011. [12886/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 to 188, inclusive, 193 and 198 together.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme has an annual expenditure limit of €1.011 billion in 2011. It does not have a monthly limit. Data in respect of the level of funding being provided to persons under the scheme in April 2011 is not available at present.

189 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the date he initiated a review of the fair deal scheme. [12877/11]

190 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the exact date whereby the provision of funding to applicants under the fair deal scheme was frozen. [12878/11]

191 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of meetings he has held with the Health Service Executive on the fair deal scheme since he came to office; the dates of these meetings; the persons who participated in each meeting on a case by case basis and the topics discussed during these meetings. [12879/11]

192 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the date on which it was decided that no new packages under the fair deal scheme would be approved. [12880/11]

206 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the date on which the Health Service Executive informed hospitals about the suspension of approval of new applicants for funding. [12894/11]

207 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the date on which he was informed that the Health Service Executive would be informing hospitals about the suspension of approval of new applicants for funding. [12895/11]

211 Deputy Liam Twomey asked the Minister for Health and Children the emergency financial measures he can make to ensure patients can access the fair care scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12938/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 189 to 192, inclusive, 206, 207 and 211 together.

As the Deputies are aware, the Minister for Health and Children has recently been made aware of a serious shortfall in the budget for this year. The HSE has advised that approximately €100m from the Long Term Residential Care subhead is being spent on other services. I should point out that we understand these other services, which include therapies and medications, are being provided to people in nursing homes. However, in order to manage the budget and the scheme effectively, these should not be included in the long-term residential care subhead. The Minister is currently seeking to ensure that only agreed costs are met from the Long Term Residential Care subhead.

The decision to suspend approvals under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme was made by the HSE on Friday, 13th May 2011 and a letter issued to each Regional Director of Operations for further distribution to all hospitals in their areas. A copy of this letter was sent to the Department of Health and Children on Tuesday, 17th May. The Minister for Health and Children was advised that day and a meeting with the HSE took place that evening.

The meeting on the 17th May was the first meeting the Minister held with the HSE regarding the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. The Department has met with the HSE on a regular and frequent basis since the scheme commenced. Officials from the Department met with HSE officials on the 10th May and subsequently on the 18th May to discuss the funding for the scheme, the cost components which have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and the assumptions which underpinned the costings of the scheme in 2010.

The Minister is seriously concerned that a funding problem should have arisen so early in the year. He is seeking to ensure that only agreed costs are met from the long-term residential care subhead. The main priority at this stage is to establish what steps might be taken to allow more people to benefit from the scheme.

In the meantime, applications for financial support under the scheme will continue to be accepted and processed. However decisions to grant approval will be subject to the availability of funding.

A full examination of the funding situation is underway, conducted jointly by the Department of Health and Children and the HSE. The commitment in the Programme for Government to review the Fair Deal will also proceed.

Question No. 193 answered with Question No. 185.

194 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons who have ceased receiving funding under the fair deal scheme during the months January, February, March and April 2011. [12882/11]

195 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the level of funding the Health Service Executive has secured from patients who were on the fair deal scheme and who have died in care during the months January, February, March and April 2011. [12883/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together.

The number of people in approved private nursing homes who ceased to receive payment under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme in the first quarter of 2011 was 1,283. Data for April is not available at present. Data in respect of public nursing homes is not available.

Individuals who avail of ‘Ancillary State Support' (the Nursing Home Loan), choose to defer part of the payment of their contribution towards their cost of long stay residential care, (generally all or part of the 5% charged against assessable assets), until after their death. Where applicants avail of this loan, the HSE then secures a ‘charging order' on the property of such applicants.

"Charging Orders" refer to the charge that the applicant or their representative has consented to having placed on their property on the approval of the Ancillary State Support which the applicant has sought. The charging order is registered with the Property Registration Authority. To date, 1,238 applicants have had charging orders placed on their property. The purpose of the Charging Order is to secure the loan, similar to a bank issuing a mortgage and placing a charge on the relevant property. When a loan advanced by the HSE has been repaid to the Revenue Commissioners, the HSE is notified and the Charging Order is discharged by the HSE through the Property Registration Authority.

Of the 1,238 charging orders put in place by the HSE, 176 applicants have since either passed away or sold their property and, if there are no grounds for further deferral, this deems the loan repayable under the legislation. Therefore, the Revenue Commissioners, who have responsibility for collection of due loan amounts, are notified accordingly for recoupment purposes. The total value amount of the 176 loans is €1.3m.

The amounts due from persons who died from January to March 2011 are not available. However, as accountable persons have up to 12 months following the date of death of the applicant to pay, these loans are not due for repayment yet.

The total amount recouped to date is €338,000. This €338,000 value amount represents 57 of the 176 loans due for repayment and which to date has been repaid to Revenue. It is important to note that the level of money repaid to the Revenue Commissioners has no bearing on the level of funding available for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. These repayments go back to the Central Fund, not to the subhead for long-term residential care.

196 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the standard time it took to process an application for funding under the fair deal scheme during January, February, March and April 2011. [12884/11]

197 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of applications for funding under the fair deal scheme currently awaiting funding decisions. [12885/11]

205 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons who have been declined funding under the fair deal scheme during March, April and May 2011 on a month-by-month basis. [12893/11]

227 Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of applications that have been received so far this year for the fair deal scheme; the number of these that are still going through the application process; if there are estimates for the number that will apply for the scheme in the second half of 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13030/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 196, 197, 205 and 227 together.

There were 2,994 applications for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme received in the first quarter of 2011. Data for April is not available at present.

The National Service Plan 2011 sets a target of four weeks for processing all complete applications for the scheme. To date, this target is being achieved.

The number of people declined funding during March, April and May 2011 is not available given the time constraints on providing a response. However, of the applications received in 2010, only in the region of 140 were refused, cancelled, withdrawn or declined by the applicant. Where applications have been refused it is on the basis that either a) the applicant was deemed not to require long-term residential care or b) the applicant's contribution to care exceeded the cost of care.

Based on activity to date in 2011, the HSE estimates that approximately 350 net additional persons per month may enter long-term residential care.

199 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the estimated full-year cost the rise in private nursing home prices would add to the fair deal scheme during 2011. [12887/11]

The HSE has calculated that price increases in private nursing homes will cost an additional €20 million in 2011.

200 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the estimated cost of arrears payments made to persons under the fair deal scheme during the first quarter of 2011. [12888/11]

201 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the estimated cost of arrears payments made to persons under the fair deal scheme since the first quarter of 2011. [12889/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 201 together.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 provides for individuals who were in long-term nursing home care in an approved nursing home when the scheme commenced to have their State support backdated to 27 October 2009. The HSE paid €14m in arrears payments in the first quarter of 2011. Data in respect of April is not yet available.

202 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons receiving the top level of funding available under the fair deal scheme as of April 2011. [12890/11]

203 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons receiving discounted funding under the fair deal scheme as of April 2011. [12891/11]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together.

There is no minimum or maximum level of funding available under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. Under the scheme, each person's contribution is calculated based on a national standardised financial assessment. Individuals contribute up to 80% of their assessable income and a maximum of 5% of the value of any assets per annum towards their cost of care, subject to the following important safeguards:

1. Nobody will pay more than the actual cost of care.

2. Applicants will keep a personal allowance of 20% of their income or 20% of the maximum rate of the State Pension (non-Contributory), whichever is the greater.

3. If there is a spouse/partner remaining at home, he/she will be left with 50% of the couple's income or the maximum rate of the State Pension (non-Contributory), whichever is the greater.

4. The first €36,000 of the applicant's assets, or €72,000 in the case of a couple, will not be counted at all in the financial assessment.

5. Where a person's assets include land and property, the 5% contribution based on such assets may be deferred and can be collected from their estate. This is an optional element of the scheme called the "Ancillary State support" or the Nursing Home Loan.

6. A person's principal residence will only be included in the financial assessment for the first 3 years of their time in care. This is known as the 15% or ‘three year' cap. It means that individuals will pay a 5% contribution based on their principal residence for a maximum of three years regardless of the time they spend in nursing home care.

7. The ‘three year' cap also extends to farms and business in certain circumstances.

8. If there is a partner or certain dependants living in the principal residence, the repayment of contributions may be further deferred for their lifetime.

204 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients in acute hospitals who are awaiting the provision of funding under the fair deal scheme. [12892/11]

On 16 May 2011 there were 629 people classified as delayed discharges in acute hospitals. Of these, 477 people were at some stage in the application process for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. The breakdown of these 477 people is as follows:

Nursing Homes Support Scheme Pre-Application

100 people were in the process of applying for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme,

2 people who have been identified as requiring long-term residential care are declining to submit an application for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. These people are being charged the average cost of care in public nursing homes in accordance with section 34(3) of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009.

Nursing Homes Support Scheme Post-Application

255 people had applied for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme and were awaiting a determination of their application,

86 people were awaiting a bed due to particular care requirements,

26 people were awaiting a bed within a reasonable proximity to their home and family,

7 people were awaiting a bed for ‘other compelling reasons', e.g. applicant not ordinarily resident in the State, family disputes delaying application etc.

1 person's application has been determined, but they are declining to move to a nursing home. This person is being charged the average cost of care in public nursing homes in accordance with section 34(3) of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009.

The HSE is continuing to accept and process applications for financial support under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. However, decisions to grant approval will be subject to the availability of funding.