Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The Opposition cannot just watch a programme on one night of the week and produce a motion another night. The Opposition must be as consistent as the Government. It must face up to that.

The Health Service Executive is now unifying the workings of the inspection teams nationwide. That is a welcome step and shows the value of the executive. It shows the rationale of why we need an executive. We need a body to bring uniformity into this area. The Government is committed to establishing an independent inspectorate for public, private and voluntary nursing homes. The necessary legislation is already being prepared. The policy for the inspectorate will be available this year and will examine all the shortcomings in the current legislation. It will then be easier to identify when a home does not receive the statutory minimum of two inspections within a 12 month period. It will also implement a common national standard to the inspection process.

The regulations place the requirement that designated officers should inspect a nursing home not less than once in every period of six months. This function is currently carried out by inspection teams within the HSE.

See this speech in context