Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Fine. I also raise the question of the recent change in policy on delayed discharges. We are seeing what appears to be a reduction in choice for older people in terms, essentially, of where they will live on coming out of an acute hospital. We know Age Action has taken a strong position on that and has been critical.

We also know the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, is addressing the issue at the moment. If we are looking at the health service in terms of numbers, we might say, yes, the new policy makes sense. However, if we look at it from the perspective of individuals and people's rights in terms of choice - Mr. Gloster was recently involved in discussions on the whole area of assisted decision-making, which is relevant - it would seem to fly in the face of the principles underlying autonomy and avoiding ageism. Where is the policy at now and is the HSE reconsidering its implementation in light of the serious concerns expressed by a lot of people about its potential to be seen as ageism?