Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ombudsman and the officials from the Department and thank them for their opening statements. My questions are based on the information in their statements and things I found striking.

In the Department's commitment to undertake a national survey to ascertain the exact number of individuals who find themselves living involuntarily in nursing homes, assess their will and preference and log a national database in this regard, it has accepted the recommendation from the Ombudsman's report. Will the officials clarify if this process will commence within 12 months or if that is when it will be completed? Is the survey within the remit of the steering group referred to or are the initiatives separate? Will the steering group include disabled members? If not, will the HSE consider including people with direct lived experience on the panel as per article 4 of the UNCRPD?

Dr. MacLellan mentioned the new database with 36,000 disabled people in it. However, there are more than 600,000 disabled people in the country. It is not possible to make informed decisions with such partial representation. How can that disparity be addressed?

On the selection of the 18 people under 65 years who are living in nursing homes. It is broken into two people per CHO. How will that be selected? What will the determining criterion be? Will it be the availability of accessible housing? Does it relate to the care package needed by each individual? Is it the length of time he or she has resided in the home? I would appreciate some elaboration how these transfers will be decided. The important question is where is the voice of the people in the nursing homes? How are the people being identified locally? Is it being left up to those who speak loudest? What is the fairest way of doing it and ensuring there is equality, equity and transparency?

Will the HSE comment on the irony that those living in nursing homes found it difficult to access primary or social care supports? Institutional living is often justified through a rationale of access to services. Following the report, what is being done to combat this lack of access to services? A constituent of mine, Ms Jennifer Hynes, falls into that category. She has had huge difficulties in accessing primary or social care supports. That was a major factor in why she entered the nursing home scheme in the first place. It was not something she wanted or that she wants to continue.

Is there a commitment to provide the number of personal assistance hours needed by individuals to live their chosen life? Minimum hours are being provided, making people prisoners in their own homes. This is another form of institutionalising disabled people.