Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It said in a response to the Irish Examinerthat it does not the power of enforceable sanctions and therefore could not be guaranteed to achieve improvements in residential care. That is what it said. I am not criticising people or anything else, but I am just saying it feels its powers are limited when it is requested to do an investigation. The authority also argues that for an individual complaint, it is also finding itself restricted. Could that be looked at and, if necessary, could we have a discussion with HIQA to see what changes is it seeking to ensure it has adequate capacity to deal with issues as they arise, and in particular, matters relating to residential care and people with disabilities.