Six months have elapsed since this House passed the Second Stage of the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill, which I introduced. It is designed to give people who qualify for the fair deal scheme the option of home care instead. The Bill did not go to Committee Stage because the Government gave me a commitment that the Bill would be discussed on Committee Stage within six months. The six months elapse tomorrow. Is it the Government's intention to let the Bill go to Committee Stage, and if so, when?

I attended a meeting yesterday organised by Family Carers Ireland, which noted that the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, had launched a consultation process for the home care scheme. Originally, the consultation process was due to be launched in May with a closing date in August but it was only launched last week and the closing date is still August. The group appealed to the Government to extend the consultation period by at least a month because many of the groups concerned will not be able to meet to discuss the issue within the existing timeframe.

The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, and the Minister, Deputy Harris, announced the public consultation on a statutory home care scheme last Thursday. I do not have any objection to the date being extended, as August is a difficult time for many people to prepare submissions and get them in, so I will raise the issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, and see if that is possible.

Any scheme will have financial implications. The fair deal scheme costs about €1 billion a year. I do not know how much a home care scheme would cost but we would need to know how the scheme would be designed and its cost before we could proceed with a money message.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

On a point of order, I apologise to Deputy Buckley but the Taoiseach did not answer my question. Is it the intention of the Government to let my Bill go to Committee Stage? Yes or no.

It is a straight question.

Yes. The intention is that it will go to committee.