Financial matters: Jill Kerby

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme is already over budget for this year. One solution would be to make home-owners contribute more of their assets towards their long-term care, but politicians will never go for that

Farmers might protest about their exclusion from the Fair Deal scheme, but it is unfair for many others too Pic: Finbarr O’Rourke

Fair Deal is unfair, claim the farmers. I couldn’t agree more, just for a very different reason.

Last week, Irish Farmers’ Association members protested outside the Dáil, claiming that the ten-year-old Nursing Homes Support Scheme, or Fair Deal, discriminated against their members (as well as other business owners) and was unfair.

The universal, means test rules are straightforward: every person who qualifies for Fair Deal must pay 80 per cent of their annual ...