Finance Act, 2002

Registered nursing homes: capital allowances for associated housing units for the aged or infirm.

33.—Section 268 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) in subsection (1)(g), by inserting “(in this section referred to as a ‘registered nursing home’)” after “nursing home” where it first occurs,

(b) by inserting the following after subsection (3):

“(3A) In this section ‘qualifying residential unit’ means a house which—

(a) is constructed on the site of, or on a site which is immediately adjacent to the site of, a registered nursing home,

(b) is—

(i) a single storey house, or

(ii) a house that is comprised in a two storey building,

where—

(I) the house is, or (as the case may be) the house and the building in which it is comprised are, designed and constructed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities, including in particular the needs of persons who are confined to wheelchairs, and

(II) the house consists of 1 or 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, bath or shower facilities, toilet facilities and a nurse call system linked to the registered nursing home,

(c) is comprised in a development of not less than 20 qualifying residential units where—

(i) that development also includes a day-care centre,

(ii) those units are operated or managed by the registered nursing home and an on-site caretaker is provided,

(iii) back-up medical care, including nursing care, is provided by the registered nursing home to the occupants of those units when required by those occupants,

(iv) not less than 20 per cent of those units are made available for renting to persons who are eligible for a rent subsidy from the health board in whose functional area the units are situated, subject to service requirements to be specified by that health board in advance and to the condition that nothing in this subparagraph shall require that health board to take up all or any of the units so made available, and

(v) the rent to be charged in respect of any such unit made available in accordance with subparagraph (iv) is not more than 90 per cent of the rent which would be charged if that unit were rented to a person who is not in receipt of a subsidy referred to in that subparagraph,

and

(d) is leased to a person or persons who has or have been certified, by a person who is registered in the register established under section 26 of the Medical Practitioners Act, 1978 , as requiring such accommodation by reason of old age or infirmity.

(3B) For the purposes of this Part but subject to subsection (3C), as respects capital expenditure incurred in the period of 5 years commencing on the date of the passing of the Finance Act, 2002, a building or structure in use as a qualifying residential unit shall be deemed to be a building or structure in use for the purposes of a trade referred to in subsection (1)(g).

(3C) Subsection (3B) shall not apply in respect of expenditure incurred on the construction of a qualifying residential unit where any part of that expenditure has been or is to be met, directly or indirectly, by grant assistance or any other assistance which is granted by or through the State, any board established by statute, any public or local authority or any other agency of the State.”,

and

(c) in subsection (7)(b), by inserting “or a qualifying residential unit” after “other than a holiday cottage referred to in subsection (3)” in both places where it occurs.