Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Have improvements been achieved in the layout of the various accident and emergency units throughout the country regarding the extent to which security is available to protect staff and patients? To what extent have measures been put in place to ensure that people who are waiting in accident and emergency departments are not intimidated by some of the activity that goes on there? I have brought this very serious issue to the attention of the committee previously. It is a very serious issue when patients who are in severe pain and waiting for attention have to wait incessantly, as they see it, where there are people who are disrupting proceedings, drawing attention to themselves and getting attention out of turn. That does not make for good practice in running accident and emergency departments. What efforts has the HSE made to deal with that in the course of the changes that have taken place?