Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise the important matter of Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, inspection charges being passed on to individual residents of nursing homes, in direct contravention of the stated policy of the Government as set down by the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, in this House on Wednesday, 4 November 2009. The announcement in March last year of national quality standards for residential care settings for older people was widely accepted as being an important step in protecting the rights of elderly people accessing residential care services throughout the country. The aim of introducing regulatory standards is to monitor the standard of care and improve the quality of life for older people in residential care settings. In the light of several recent high-profile cases in which standards were shown to be inadequate and the care given to vulnerable older people way below what was acceptable, the legislation under the Health Act 2007 was timely.

At the time these standards were introduced, it was stated the inspection fee was not due or payable by individual residents or their families. We have been repeatedly told since that payment of these charges was a matter between the authority and nursing home providers. As such, I am concerned about complaints from the families of individual residents of a nursing home that they are being invoiced directly for these HIQA inspection charges. Before raising this matter in the House, I contacted representatives of HIQA and the nursing home in question. HIQA has categorically stated the charges were never intended to be passed on to the families of individual residents.

To my dismay, however, the nursing home in questin has provided written confirmation that it is directly invoicing individual residents for the charges and is doing so on the basis of comments made by the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, at the press conference at which the national quality standards were launched on 9 March 2009. According to nursing home management, the Minister said in response to a question from a journalist that she accepted that the charges would "clearly be passed on".

There is clearly a divergence of opinion between HIQA, the Minister for Health and Children, the Minister of State, Deputy Brady, and residential care providers as to how these charges are to be paid. This matter is sufficiently important as to require the Minister or her representative to come to House and clarify the matter once and for all.

See this speech in context