Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

More often than not, on Tuesday afternoon Leaders' Questions is informed by the RTE's "Prime Time". Once again, the situation revealed by the "Prime Time" investigation has proved to be shocking. Indeed, the shock in north County Dublin is quite palpable given the trust placed in the Leas Cross nursing home by relatives and patients.

The Taoiseach said that the Health Service Executive will conduct an investigation. However, is it not the case that much of the questioning in the House today has focused on the need for an independent inspectorate and investigation? I suggest that the Taoiseach should start as he means to continue, with an independent investigation, in this case, entirely independent of the HSE.

In terms of the standard of nursing home care, will we have a comparable rating with other countries? For example, four hours personal attention per day is considered the norm in the United States whereas here the norm is 2.5 hours. Can the Taoiseach clarify whether the standards will be raised once the investigation is completed? Will regulations governing the sector be tightened up? Certainly, terms such as "adequate staffing" are used as a get-out clause for some people and do not represent proper regulation.

Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Leas Cross nursing home had an ISO accreditation? Given that he was asked to perform the opening ceremony, is it not incumbent on him to satisfy themselves that standards have been complied with so that his is not implicated in any way in the course of an investigation, such as the one about to be carried out? Is there not a lesson here for the Taoiseach and other Ministers to ensure that they are not found wanting when it comes to insisting on high standards?

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