The last Government and this Government committed to the reform of the nursing home fair deal legislation. It has been promised for the last four years to prohibit the forced sale of farms and businesses across the country of older people resident in nursing homes and to remove the effective ban on the option for older people of leasing out up to 9,000 vacant homes. At present, those people are being charged three times under the fair deal rules if they lease a house out, rather than just once if they leave it vacant. When will we see the publication of that legislation?

We need those urgent changes regarding the fair deal scheme legislation. Farmers are still being discriminated against, especially small family farms. There is a duty on us here to ensure that we are helping these family farms to survive in every way we can. When will those changes take place? The last Government led farmers up the garden path on this issue and I believe the legislation needs to change urgently.

I thank the Deputies for raising what is an important issue for the farming community. I do not think that legislation will be dealt with this month, so it will fall to the autumn session. I have, however, asked the Ministers to prioritise this matter and it is in the programme for Government. The Deputies are correct, however, that people have been waiting for some time. There have been some issues with some of the stakeholders regarding this matter, which perhaps have delayed its progress, but I am determined that we will get this legislation published and into the House.