Mr. Tadhg Daly:

It is important to put on the record that we were engaged quite regularly with officials in the Department. Many matters were being escalated and we were hearing that NPHET was discussing certain matters but we felt it was important that the voice of the nursing home sector and the frustration that was felt by our members was heard at an official level. We were disappointed that it took almost a month before we got to meet with the Minister. I appreciate that he was busy in many other areas but I would highlight that given the vulnerability of older people, we felt this issue should have been higher on the agenda.