Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Áras Attracta: HSE

9:25 pm

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of questions for Mr. Pat Healy on the congregated settings and the policy in that respect. We all welcome the HIQA inspections but, from talking to service providers, we realise there is a financial cost to meeting HIQA standards. In many cases, the service provider has not been resourced. I know of one organisation that has spent close to €700,000 trying to comply with HIQA standards, regulations and requests. Is any cognisance taken of this when providing resources to organisations to meet the HIQA standard? If not, how do organisations attain the standard?

My next point is in the context of Mr. O'Brien's remarks on the 13 staff who have been put off duty and replaced - perhaps they have not all been replaced - and in the context of the moratorium, particularly in the area of disability and intellectual disability. I appreciate that Mr. O'Brien is going to give me a standard answer on there being a blunt instrument. We are talking in this case about people who are the most vulnerable and who require the services of the State. An organisation with staff going on both maternity and sick leave could have up to 30 members of staff absent in a calendar year without replacing any.

With regard to congregated settings and the strategy for community inclusion, I refer to recommendations 1 and 3. As the delegation knows, I have a particular interest in disability. I am a member of the COPE Foundation. While I am not on the board and have no executive duties, I have a family related interest that dates from my childhood. What is the position on the movement of congregated settings and particularly on recommendations 1 and 3?

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