Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a hugely important point. If there is a situation where the Ombudsman is coming into a committee and saying that it is leading to the impoverishment of our elderly people and that their grandchildren have more money in their pockets than they do, it is not a case that they are living. They are just seeing out their time; it is like a jail sentence. I agree that it has to be addressed.

I ask the Comptroller and Auditor General for his view on the huge amount of public money that is being put into this sector and how we can look at a situation where care is being provided on the private side and is complying with Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, standards at an average spend of €35,000 and yet double the amount of money is being spent in the public side. Can Mr. McCarthy get his head around how this has been allowed to develop over a period of time?