Once again, I raise the issue of the significant inequitable financial treatment under the fair deal scheme meted out to public nursing homes on the one hand and private, community and voluntary nursing homes on the other. As a result, many small, family-run, often rural nursing homes are finding themselves in real financial trouble. Last week, two former TDs, Dr. Jerry Cowley and Dr. Michael Harty, who are both chairs of community, voluntary, not-for-profit nursing homes located within a few kilometres of public nursing homes which receive between €600 and €700 more per patient per week than their nursing homes do, stated they are both in significant financial trouble. A state-aid complaint has been lodged with the European Commission. What will the Minister of State do to address this huge discrepancy?

This year €1.4 billion will be provided by the Government to support 22,500 people to age well in a nursing home. The purpose of the fair deal scheme is that the more you have, the more you pay; the less you have, the less you pay. No one ever envisaged the fair deal scheme would be used by European conglomerates for profit. The Deputy asked a clear question. I met with Dr. Cowley last week in Leinster House and gave him a commitment to travel. All the details need to be on the table. Unfortunately, due to HIQA compliance rules, Dr. Cowley has to reduce the number of beds in his premises so that he can have single rooms. As a result he lost some funding. I also visited Dr. Harty's voluntary organisation in Ennis.

I agree with the Deputy as regards the voluntary sector. When its members are challenged to comply with HIQA rules, it can be difficult for them because they do not have any reserves. In the coming weeks, I will announce a €10 million fund for nursing homes to become HIQA compliant.