Mr. Ger Deering:

No, I am very happy with the powers and resources we have. Everybody can do with more resources, and I know many people coming before a committee such as this will put resources at the top of the list, but I am happy with the structure in our office and the dedicated people we have. The important thing is that we have significant powers of investigation and powers to get information, and that relates to both an individual complaint and where we carry out a systemic investigation. I think the powers are sufficient.

Coming before a committee such as this and being able to report directly to the Oireachtas is important so that when we carry out an investigation, if it were the case that we did not get the co-operation or that we are making recommendations for improvements, we have the support of a committee such as this one in making those recommendations. However, as the office has evolved over the years and when we look at the most recent reports, it is the case that public bodies are accepting the recommendations. I am sure we will talk a little more about this in a few minutes. For example, with regard to the report "Wasted Lives", which is about people under 65 who are in nursing homes, the HSE accepted all the recommendations in that, and it is working to implement them. Maybe we would like to see them being implemented a bit more quickly, but I am not sure there are any powers we could have that would assist us to get them implemented any more quickly. It is a matter of a mix of the powers of investigation, which we have, and the powers of moral suasion, which include coming before committees such as this.