Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank both witnesses for their presentations. Any examination of what has happened in the nursing homes must be viewed in a policy context. There is no doubt bereaved families and Irish society generally are paying a very high price for what I would regard as a confluence of policy failures in the care of older people which have been graphically and tragically exposed over recent months. It is important that we bear in mind what those policy failures are. The first is the two-tier health service. The second is in regard to social care being treated as the poor relation of the health service. The third is the fact that nursing homes are regarded as a good investment opportunity, as opposed to a central element of the healthcare service, and that the incentivisation of investment in nursing homes has led to the unrelenting privatisation of the sector. The fourth is the fact that older people themselves are incentivised to access nursing home care because of the lack of statutory entitlement to home care, in spite of the fact that home care is what older people want and is in the best interests of their health needs. The fifth area that has been absolutely exposed is the light-touch regulation of this entire sector.

I recognise that Deputy O'Dowd had to leave. I would make the point to Deputy O'Dowd and other Government Deputies that those points have to be made loudly as well and must be heard clearly. We are wasting our time examining this whole area unless we recognise that policy context and those policy failures.

I have a number of questions for Mr. Daly. The first relates to the staff ratios in operation across the sector.

What ratios apply in respect of nurses to residents and healthcare assistants to residents, and what is the policy in respect of casual staff?