Ms Leanne Caulfield:

Deputy Hourigan is correct in that the HSE only has powers over the facilities it funds. This means that the safeguarding and protection teams and their social workers only have powers as regards HSE-run facilities. As a result, they cannot access people within private nursing homes or other private facilities. That is one of the core issues that this project is examining. It is a regulatory framework that will apply cross-sectorally and also across all settings. We are really conscious that we cannot only have protective powers for publicly funded or publicly run facilities, they must apply to all facilities in which there are people who are potentially at risk of harm. That is a very important focus of this project.