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THE TOP CIVIL servant in the Department of Health has said that the policy of charging fees to nursing home residents who were entitled to free care was “never challenged” politically in the decades it was in place.
Many medical card holders who were in long-term care during the period from 1976 to 2005 had to pay when it should have been free for them.
Speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee today, Secretary General at the Department of Health Robert Watt said it was accepted that this system was “unfair.”
A report in the Irish Mail on Sunday contained claims that successive governments have allegedly pursued a secret strategy aimed at limiting refunds from the State to individuals who were incorrectly charged for public nursing home care.
It is claimed that this involved denying compensation to “anyone who did not have the resources to fight legal cases”, while the remainder of the cases “were all quietly settled by the State”.
Watt said today of this legal strategy: “Whether it’s unjust or not, you could debate that.
“If you look back on the debates historically over this, this policy was never really challenged from a political perspective … the issue has arisen because there wasn’t a lawful basis for the policy, that’s a different thing.”
“The times are very different in so many respects, in terms of the nature of the state, the role of the state, the obligations of the state, the capacity of the state.
Some 16,000 people availed of nursing-home care in 1985, a number that has grown to 23,000 in 2022.
In 1968, 80% of nursing home beds in Ireland were public. Currently, around 20% of beds are public.
Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson David Cullinane asked Watt whether he accepted that “we need to establish whether or not there were people who would have qualified [for redress] had they applied under the scheme, or had appealed, that their appeal would have been upheld, but because they didn’t they simply accepted the judgement of the HSE?”
Watt responded that a “trawl” was being carried out to establish whether there were more people in “similar situations.”
If there are, he said, “we’ll have to bring that to the minister … I’m a bit reluctant to get involved in the business of conjecture.”
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said that only about half of the estimated €1 billion allocated for repayments was paid out under the 2004 scheme.
She said either the number of people who were estimated to be entitled to repayment was wrong, “or there wasn’t sufficient awareness among people who were invited to claim.”
Watt said there was a “large public campaign at the time”, including newspaper adverts
The Mail on Sunday also reported that it is alleged that the “legal strategy”, which was upheld by successive governments, sought to prolong cases and ensure that settlements were not publicly reported.
Shortall also said that the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 had recommended a review of the privatisation of nursing homes, a recommendation Watt said he was not familiar with.
Referring to the “creeping privatisation” of healthcare in Ireland, Shortall asked: “Isn’t this at the root of why we find ourselves now in this situation? Where, if the state doesn’t provide adequate public facilities, then people had no choice but to try and get private facilities?”
She asked Watt whether there was any work being done in the Department of Health on legislating for a legal entitlement to healthcare. Watt said there was not.
Watt later said of the controversy: “I don’t think anyone disputes that it was unfair … that’s different to legal entitlement.”
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SF, PBP, SocDems, I4C and other left candidates can EASILY make up the 80+ seats required in tomorrows vote. All it takes a bit of effort on our part, to get to the polling station and help make it happen
It’s an hour or so of your time, once every 4-5 years, and it can make all of the difference. Left leaning candidates are at the coalface relentlessly campaigning, marching and protesting for the issues that matter to us all. Now IT’S OUR TURN to step up and do our part.
Look left tomorrow, change everything. Vote straight left and left leaning candidates all the way FTW!
@The Risen: In all seriousness, whatever your thoughts are on the current situation, do you really see that many fragmented parties, rag tag groups and independents coming together to form a cohesive government? Not a hope.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: They ran under the right2change policy platform in 2016 for the most part, so yes.
@The Risen: and how is that singular policy platform going? Did everyone stick to it? Doesn’t fill me with confidence regarding a cohesive government. The first item on the agenda for most left wing parties is how they need to split into fragments so that everyone can be appeased.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Who are you voting for yourself?
@The Risen: Deflect, Distract, Deny, that’s how it goes, isn’t it? Maybe we can all get behind Gemma – you told us she was standing for change too.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Nice rant. So, who are you voting for yourself?
@The Risen: hahahaha here we go again
@The Risen: No ranting here. I look forward to voting for the candidates in my constituency that I feel will deliver the most at both a local and national level. Unlike some people on here I’m not a member of a political party, nor do I adhere to the sort of tribalism and ‘us vs them’ mentality that sadly seems to be taking over. My original comment was that I fail to see how 80+ TDs from a broad spectrum of parties who have little in common except that they see themselves as ‘anti-establishment’ could ever get it together to form a stable government, and somehow we’ve ended up with tribalism again as people try to pigeonhole others so that they can arrange their muck appropriately.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Yeah, still haven’t told us who you’re voting for tomorrow though, did you?
I’m voting 1. PBP 2+3 SF $ Left independent, with my other preferences going to left leaning candidates.
So, who are you voting for yourself?
@OnlyHereForTheComments: yea, who are u voting for. haha
@We Love Katamari: All of these blank twitter profiles used by the party hacks don’t have a leg to stand on. If they admit they’re voting FF they can’t open their mouths about what the left would do to the economy, if they admit that they vote FG they can’t open their mouths on the lefts housing policy, health policy and so on. They’re all mouth.
@The Risen: Not a member of a party, not employed by one, bot everyone who has the audacity to question you is a paid FF/FG shill, but don’t let that get in the way of the ‘which side are you on’, ‘who do you work for’ style of interrogation – it’s common with certain political parties, after all.
My criticisms here have nothing to do with economic or health policies, and everything to do with the ability to form a cohesive and aligned government. I suggest worrying less about who I’m voting for and more for whether or not the utopia you’re predicting has a chance of ever becoming a reality. Why not play the ball?
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Very good. So, who do you vote for yourself??
@The Risen: in fairness look forward to my vote for FG tomorrow , would much prefer a party that knows what they are at, imagine the alternative SF, greens, like no thanks. But I’ll give it to you, living in dream land must be fun..thinking we will change ha
@The Risen: Still unwilling (or unable) to debate the matter at hand? No worries fella, take it easy.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: uv all the answers for why not to vote left but too embarassed to say who ur voting for. clown
@OnlyHereForTheComments: You realise that every time you reply without revealing who you’re voting for, you’re just highlighting my point, no?
So, who do you vote for yourself?
@The Risen: There’s a point?!
@We Love Katamari: Hello, welcome to the discussion. Who I’m voting for, and who you’re voting for, and who the risen is voting for, has precisely zero bearing on the ability of a group of 80+ broadly individual TDs to form a cohesive government. Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: In all fairness, the risens leading you around by the nose. He’s done it with a few commenters now. Mouthing out of ye about the left and SF but don’t have the stones to tell everybody who you will vote for. It’s comical. Voting Sinn Fein myself.
@The Risen: He won’t tell you who he’s voting for because of the shame of it and the fact that you’ll pick his thought process apart if he does. Lots of FFG courage on show in the comments section.
@Dermo Adams: If leading someone around by the nose means ignoring the original comment and changing the subject to something more appealing to them, then you’re absolutely right, he’s certainly done that. Except I’m not mouthing about the left or SF. I think they have *some* really excellent policies, and I never said I wouldn’t be voting for them. My original point still stands, despite the diversion tactics.
@The Risen: No chance. We don’t need welfare hoovers in government
@Conan Campbell: Thanks Keith Barry – impressive display of mind reading there. Hilarious seeing just how narked people are when you won’t give them what they want, and just how little they have to fall back on.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Must have missed you posting who you vote for yourself. Would you mind reposting please? :)
@The Risen: None of your business who he votes for, it’s a secret ballot. & theirs reasons for that. It’s for the ability to vote without one’s choices being revealed to others is considered an essential characteristic of legitimate democratic systems. The secret ballot helps protect voters from fear of intimidation or coercion.
Not that the Socialists parties would engage in such immoral practice? Blaring out Oh Ah up the RA in Cavan during the week, wouldn’t intimidate anyone would it?
@Dom Layzell: Just highlighting the fact that all of these new and nearly new empty twitter accounts posting anti SF and anti left muck can’t even stand by their own party affiliation because of the shameful state they’ve left the country in :)
@The Risen: Regardless, you have no evidence, and innocent until ……………. you know the rest yourself, you’re a Shinner!
But no one should have to explain who they vote for?
@Dom Layzell: As posted many times, I’m proudly giving Gino Kenny from PBP my number one vote. Do try to keep up…
@OnlyHereForTheComments: ming Flanagan campaigning for the greens, pbp, sf and marian harkin during this election campaign says a lot about populism and how it works.
I’m sorry but the FAI money is a bailout. Regardless of how you want to try define it, if you run an organisation into the ground and are at the point of bankruptcy, and the state gives you free money, it’s a bailout. Utterly disgraceful in the same week that some mental health services had a funding cut.
@D walsh: I have to agree 100% its a bailout, no, if’s, but’s or why’s. You are right.
And I hope the people that authorised the Taxpayers money, to be abused like this get their Just rewards tomorrow, and a kick in the ballot’s.
Don’t forget to vote tomorrow. The above article is riddled with Lies from both parties.
Vote Sinn Fein for more affordable public housing and rent.
I’m not putting one number beside a FF or FG candidate. 100 years of their bullshit is enough.
Ignore FG, ff, sf. We’ve seen how they are when in power here and in the north. Vote Left for real change.
@alan: and what left would that be? Labour? Hahaha the only thing left about them is the fact that they left us high and dry when they went into coalition with FG.
@Sam Greene: I was thinking of the larger parties. But you can add lab to that list.
“However separate figures from the World Bank and the European Commission estimate that Ireland is actually responsible for almost 0.1% of global emissions,”
So Ireland, a small windswept island in the North Atlantic, produces on tenth of the world’s CO2 emissions? Baloney. .
@Zak Martin: You think 0.1% equals one-tenth? It’s one-thousandth.
@Zak Martin: one tenth of one hundred… not 0.1 if 1.0 were the whole
@OnlyHereForTheComments:
https://answers.everydaycalculation.com/as-fraction/0.1
@OnlyHereForTheComments:
https://www.asafraction.com/number/0.1
@OnlyHereForTheComments:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Express+0.1+as+a+fraction&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b
@Zak Martin: thanks Zak. 0.1 represented as a fraction is indeed one-tenth. The trouble is that 0.1% is one-tenth of one percent, not one-tenth of everything.
@OnlyHereForTheComments:
The article claims that Ireland is the source of “almost 0.1% of global emissions”. That’s one tenth.
@Zak Martin: let’s say 1000 = 100%, that would make 100 = 10%, 10 = 1%, 1 = 0.1%, so 0.1% is one thousand of the number. You are mixing up fractions and percentages
@Jim Buckley Barrett: you can’t argue with stupid.
@Zak Martin: jasus, please stop now, take a night course in basic arithmetic
Fact check: Is the Irish electoral system being artificially manipulated? Yes, and while there is a quota system I’d urge people not to vote for any female candidates. Lesser candidates are taking the place of hard working male counterparts due to an unfair rule. Equality for all or equality for none!
Who hired you lads? :-)
47k? Take out civil servants and multi national wages and see what the average worker is on not the lucky few that get work in these areas!
47 k my bleedin hoop
The average worker is earning 47’000 – Mostly True.
Christine Bohan would you ever f**k off with your nonsense -
Vote SF
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