Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Mr. Cavanagh for his input. As I listened to him speaking about the huge gaps, and when I looked at those gaps, it occurred to me that there are a lot of areas in question and there is a lot to do, whether that is through legislation, the HSE or An Garda Síochána. He said that abuse, exploitation and neglect of adults are happening on a daily basis and that is fairly clear. The area of online abuse occurred to me. I know this discussion is around adult abuse and this is generally an issue associated with younger people, but I would like to know whether Safeguarding Ireland is encountering much bullying and coercion in emails, etc. Is that a big issue for older people? I am curious in this regard.

How well advanced are we in addressing mental health issues with the Mental Health Commission? I am aware of positive developments such as the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. Mr. Cavanagh outlined a number of areas where there are positives. While some advancements are being made, I think there were a lot more negatives than positives.

In the estimation of Safeguarding Ireland, how big and serious is the risk of abuse in organisations and in congregated settings, rather than community-based places or houses? Mr. Cavanagh said that Safeguarding Ireland has three main objectives and that it has published a comprehensive review and analysis of them. I am curious about that. Can he share with the committee some details of how that it is going?

In general, where is the abuse mainly focused? Is it in the family? I know that it occurs within nursing homes and that it can be found across a number of areas, but it is under-reported in people with disabilities, from what I can see. How badly under-reported is it? I am aware that there was an investigation into one particular home, Áras Attracta, but are there other places of concern? Are there a number of places with which we have serious concern? I am curious about that.

Access to legal aid and representation is a significant issue for people, especially those who have issues with capacity. Is that working? Is the message getting out to people?