The Government has approved a proposal to change how farms and businesses are treated under the Fair Deal scheme.
The move has been confirmed by Minister of State for Older People Jim Daly.
At present, those availing of the Fair Deal scheme must contribute up to 80% of their income and up to 7.5% of the value of any assets towards the cost of their care.
Under the rules, the value of a person's home is only included in the financial assessment for the first three years of their period in care.
The Government has now decided the three year cap will be extended to farms and businesses where the farm or business is being operated by a member of the family for six years.
Plan for working group on public service broadcasting funding
Minister for Communications Denis Naughten has sought Cabinet approval for a working group on the Future Funding of Public Service Broadcasting to be established.
He informed ministers of the serious financial situation facing RTÉ.
Evasion of the TV licence fee is resulting in a loss of revenue of €40m annually.
The working group will consist of senior officials from various departments and will examine all options in relation to the collection of the TV licence fee.
These include the collection of the fee by the Revenue Commissioners which was recommended by an Oireachtas committee.
It will also look at tendering the collection of the licence fee to a private operator, replacing the fee with a broadcasting charge or a variation of this.
Other areas to be examined include a more equitable contribution from the business sector through the introduction of different rates or categories of licence.
Western Rail Corridor extension to be considered
It was also agreed at Cabinet today that an independent expert review will be carried out of the possible extension of the Western Rail Corridor which was a commitment in the Programme for Government.
The review will be carried out by a group of experts in consultation with stakeholders.
It will involve a fresh financial and economical appraisal of the proposal and whether it is consistent with the requirements of the Public Spending Code.
Additional reporting Sorcha Ní Riada
