Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----this louder, and as loud as I can. It is exceptionally clear and it is something that I have said all of my life: the care of older people in nursing homes is not acceptable. The nursing home private sector is not compliant in the main, right across the sector. It comprises very wealthy companies which complain that the taxpayer is not doing enough for them. I wish to state exceptionally clearly that we need a total change in the way we look at the care of older people. We need the home care packages mentioned by Mr.Taylor, in the smaller units referred to, and to look after people with dementia. We need to stop this game of blaming everybody and to accept the fact that we are not doing enough and have never done enough. Unless things change now, we are going to go down the same road.

I respect Mr. Daly, whom I have met a number of times, but I want to make it exceptionally clear that it is not good enough that this system would continue, and the tragedies that have unfolded in many homes because of the deaths of loved ones. We have seen it every day on the television when it comes on about those poor people who have passed away. I knew many of them and I am saddened, and I know that the families are saddened by this. It is a scandal that this happened.

I point to a report in The Guardianabout a British Parliament hearing. There is not one death certificate in all of Hong Kong for a person in a nursing home who had Covid-19 because not one of them there died. I just get so angry at this.

We need to move forward together but we must establish the facts. The truth is the truth and the truth will out. We have to change radically everything to do with older people.