Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to thank Ms O'Riordan very much for the presentation and the work she and her colleagues are doing in this area. Last week we discussed this whole area of forward planning. We still do not seem to have gotten the message out there about the need for forward planning. I am coming from a legal background. What we find helpful are enduring powers of attorney, and having people sign them. The problem is that on too many occasions we are ending up with complications with people who have nothing done. We then have to try to sort out the details of how we should manage the person's affairs. Another problem is who is in charge, and from whom do we get instructions. Has the Department considered highlighting this need for thinking ahead? I know the witness talked about €3 million being set aside in one particular area, but there is much forward planning that people can do. We just do not seem to have gotten that message out there.

We are finding that people are living longer now. I have come across a number of cases recently where dementia or Alzheimer's disease has suddenly set in and there is no forward plan. In other cases, as a result of meeting people about other issues over the last three to four years, we have been able to get people to sign enduring powers of attorney. This has been extremely helpful. Would the Department consider keeping that in mind, that is, trying to highlight how people can avoid difficulties in the future?

The other issue I want to raise is the fact 11 agencies have been created since 2010. The issue of separate agencies is that it can cause its own problems. I raised this recently in relation to HIQA identifying inadequacies in care for people with intellectual disability. I am referring in particular to respite care. We now have a scenario where a lot of respite care facilities that were available are no longer available because HIQA has issues with, or has made decisions in respect of, these facilities but has not identified alternatives. While we might solve a problem in one area, we now have created a huge problem in another area. I know of quite a number of families who have children, or rather young adults who are now 18, 19 or 20 years of age, who cannot get access to respite care.

If the Government is to set up a new agency in this area, we need to look at the consequences if decisions are made. Its role may be quite clear-cut and its attitude may be that it is not its responsibility to identify the solution but only to deal with the problem as it arises. I am a bit concerned that there may be too many agencies. What is the witnesses' view on incorporating it into HIQA? There needs to far more co-operation in regard to withdrawing a particular service, because it does not meet standards, when there is no obligation to identify a solution. It is something we need to keep in mind.