Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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This correspondence came to me, and not only as a Member of the Oireachtas. It was clear from the correspondence that it was intended for this committee and I have forwarded it on. It is the case that it is not our business to start delving into the individual circumstances and disputes that may have arisen between any nursing home and HIQA or any other agency. I need a bit of guidance here in terms of how we respond to this because it seems there is at least one more general issue regarding regulation that is raised by this correspondence. It refers to the chief inspector of social services, Ms Dunnion, who has been before the committee. This position is answerable to the Oireachtas, not to the board, and we have a particular responsibility to examine what exactly is going on here. The lengthy correspondence refers to the part-time discharge of this function.

Others may be sharing, or presenting themselves, rightly or wrongly, as inspectors or assistant inspectors. I need a bit of help in terms of how we advance this correspondence and the concerns that arise, not by becoming a referee in the dispute but by knuckling down on the regulatory issues that arise and how we deal with those.