Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

——wrote about a patient who was sent from a nursing home to Beaumont Hospital. The registrar in question said the following about the patient: "Bad pressure sores, with blistering on the heels and broken skin ulcer, with large excoriated areas on the buttocks, which in my opinion at that time were the worst pressure sores I had seen". A report was sought on this case by the then Minister of State responsible for the elderly.

We know from demographic studies what will happen in terms of numbers. Will the Taoiseach confirm that the nursing homes to which accident and emergency units refer patients under the Tánaiste's new programme have been inspected unannounced and are up to standard? In everyone's interests, will the Taoiseach confirm the ending of the practice of announced inspections of nursing homes? If we saw what was on that programme happening in another country, persons in this House would jump up and down with outrage. I watched the programme again before 8 a.m. and it reminded me of something from the Second World War. The conditions and behaviour were absolutely appalling. The Taoiseach has a chance to do something——

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