Funding allocated for the delayed 'Fair Deal' nursing home funding scheme should now be used to ease pressure on those facing significant nursing home bills, according to Labour Party Health Spokesperson Jan O' Sullivan.

She said failure to make any progress on the 'Fair Deal' scheme for nursing home care means that the legislation to give the scheme legal effect is now unlikely to come before the Oireachtas before October.

"I welcome the fact that Minister Harney is now open to the idea of using the money put aside for the scheme for other purposes, but she must now make it clear that families who are suffering as a result of the delay in enacting the law will get priority."

Ms O'Sullivan said €110 million was set aside by the Government this year for allocation to the scheme.

"That money should now be used to ease the pressure on families who were quite reasonably expecting that the scheme would be fully in place at this stage and who have had to face significant nursing home bills in the meantime, some of which have increased dramatically in recent times."

Under the scheme, the State would apply a levy of up to 15 per cent on the value of the nursing home resident’s estate to fund nursing home care.

However, the planned scheme has run into constitutional difficulties.

Ms O'Sullivan claimed the scheme had not been properly thought through.