Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Bill covers the most vulnerable people in society, that is, children, people with disabilities and the elderly. One of the big challenges which is going on in accident and emergency departments at present, is that relatives have no access. Many of the hospitals are locked down because of the pandemic. That is a key piece of information.

I imagine that the majority of complaints come from relatives or someone who visited the home and so on. I am sure that we can all recall the stark images during the pandemic of people outside of nursing homes waving at their elderly loved ones inside. Information and communication are key in this area. When people visit their loved ones they can see whether their loved one has lost weight, the place is clean and other things are happening. I cite that to stress the importance of visits and concerns arise when people cannot visit. Unfortunately, in many cases, and particularly the cohort of people that we are talking about, the residents may be unable to articulate their situation so visits are vitally important.

Ms Casey mentioned that the legislation provides "the chief inspector with a means to react more quickly and effectively to urgent issues". I ask her to explain how that will work. Members have asked questions on inspectors and inspections. Will more inspectors be recruited? There is clearly a need for more inspections and there was agreement on that after what happened previously. Some people who worked in these places, particularly in nursing homes, residents and their families felt abandoned and we have heard stories about staff having to wear painter suits because there was a lack of PPE. I ask my questions not just for the sake of the committee but because I am conscious that people are watching proceedings at home who are equally concerned about how this provision will be developed.