Ms Angela Fitzgerald:

The Deputy is correct that the patient safety Act brings significant additional responsibilities for us in a few ways. One relates to private hospitals. For the first time we will have a role in monitoring activity of hospitals. We envisage we will conduct that role against standards in the way we do in public hospitals.

The second area relates to notifiable incidents. While by and large there is a well-developed system for serious notifiable incidents, it brings significant responsibilities for HIQA in healthcare settings but also in social care. The chief inspector, Ms Grogan, will have some additional responsibilities around individual events that she did not have before. The Deputy is correct to say it brings significant additional responsibility. At the moment, we are engaged with the Department in relation to planning for the commencement and part of that will be looking at the resources we require. Deputy Hourigan asked earlier about the workforce plan. While we are not contributing to the HSE's plan, we have developed a comprehensive workforce plan with the Department which envisages the expanded role in this and other areas. We have a good relationship with the Department. We are adequately resourced for what we do but we are stepping into, as the Deputy said-----