Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank HIQA for its presentation this morning. The corporate plan is amazingly impressive and I wish the authority the best of luck with that. I seek answers to two questions and a comment on something Deputy Ó Caoláin said earlier. First, has HIQA issued the national standards that will apply to the residential care services? If so, will the witnesses describe them briefly to us? Second, on the hand washing scandal, while I am not discounting the emotional and loss of life aspects, can the witnesses tell us if they know the financial cost to the Exchequer arising from the fact that medical professionals are not doing something so basic and fundamental, something which we teach our one and two year old children to do?

Finally, I wish to deal with something which I believe was a bit unfair. I ask the witnesses to comment on Deputy Ó Caoláin's assertion that he is aware that the HSE misuses HIQA reports. He said that he believes that the HSE deliberately under-resources facilities so that they will not meet HIQA standards. Does HIQA agree with that?