Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Tyndall, Mr. Morgan and Ms Hanrahan and thank them for being here.

The presence of the Ombudsman is always welcome.

I will make two comments. I refer not only to today's publication but also to the fact that the role of the Ombudsman illustrates the importance of the office. The perspective the Ombudsman brings, while challenging, is refreshing, for which I thank him in a very sincere way. We can skirt around some of the sensitive issues, but it is important that collectively - whatever organ of the State we represent - we do so on behalf of citizens.

It is completely wrong and unacceptable that there is no security of tenure for residents in their new home. I agree with Mr. Tyndall completely in that regard. I hope we can see full implementation of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act which will lend itself to giving security of tenure. I am interested in hearing Mr. Tyndall's view. Notwithstanding that, we have to balance the competing interests of owners of nursing homes with those of patients. The issue of security of tenure is one we should monitor continually and keep at the forefront of what we do. In his letter to us today the Minister of State speaks about having had a meeting with Nursing Homes Ireland. Is there anything the committee can do to provide a sense of security for residents?

I concur with Deputy Shane Cassells on the additional charges. The Minister of State has met Nursing Home Ireland, the Ombudsman and Age Action Ireland to discuss the issue. Mr. Tyndall has said that perhaps solutions cannot be offered. There must be solutions. In any society, no matter how limited discretionary spending is, it is not good enough that there is a senior citizen with €4, €5 or €7 to spend. We are not supporting smoking or anything like it. It says an awful lot about society. I am curious that, in reply to us in advance of the meeting, the Minister of State spoke about exploring options and having a project team with the aim of making recommendations with an interdepartmental working group. Has there been further action in that regard? We would like to hear about it. Perhaps we might invite the Minister back as a consequence of the Ombudsman's visit. The Minister of State is proactive. I thank Mr. Tyndall for being here and his presentation. Some of the case studies are just silly; bad practice can be changed easily.