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A decision is still being made on changes to the fair deal scheme, with draft changes to amend the current bill circulated to Government departments, according to Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Jim Daly.
The fair deal nursing home scheme currently includes an open-ended 7.5% annual charge to the value of most assets owned by a person receiving nursing home care, including farmland.
The Minister has given a commitment but it is dragging on
Proposed changes would see a three-year cap put on charges.
A date in May for proposed changes had been hoped for, but Minister Daly admitted that there had been no major progress, in response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil deputy John McGuinness.
The current situation has been branded as “discrimination” against farm families by Fianna Fáil deputy for Carlow/Kilkenny Bobby Aylward.
“I got a commitment that there was a discrepancy. The authorities accepted it and agreed to try to do something about it,” Aylward said at a committee hearing last week.
“The Minister has given a commitment but it is dragging on. As we discussed already, there is a three-year cap on a house, but there is no cap on a farm.”
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