Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan very much.

The programme broadcast by "RTÉ Investigates" was horrific. It showed wanton neglect and abuse of older people. From that, we have had active engagement with HIQA, in regard to which I have a number of points. First, HIQA has acknowledged its processes, like any, need to be reviewed. I want to see a couple of changes in this area. I would like to see reports coming in real time. Currently, reports are historic. They should be updated at the time of publication to reflect changes and improvements made where needed. Second, given what has evolved, we need to ensure parent companies are also regulated by HIQA. That is exceedingly important.

Another area we need to examine is that of public beds. This is very much front and centre and the Minister has referred to it. We committed in the programme for Government to increase the number of public community beds. We are currently carrying out a capacity review on planning and we want to ensure we get funding for that. This is important, but we always have a mix between public and private. Regulation is key and we are doing a body work on what improvements we can make. Ultimately, the objective is to provide a nursing home care system that is absolutely safe for older people. Alongside that, we are introducing statutory home care to enable people to live in their homes for as long as they wish. I feel very strongly about that. I am introducing home care providers legislation. It is a case of having a statutory scheme. We will always have a need for long-term nursing home care as well.