Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

It has been promised for years and I am delighted we are to deliver it. The chief inspector will be required to establish a register or registers of residential services, including residential services provided to any dependent person in respect of that dependency and services provided in accordance with the Health (Nursing Homes) Act 1990.

As I already indicated, the Department has initiated a public consultation on the legislative proposals in the draft heads. The background paper outlining the proposals and the draft general scheme and heads of the Bill are available on the Department's website. The closing date for receipt of submissions is Friday, 26 May. The draft heads will be reviewed in light of the views expressed during the consultation process and the Tánaiste intends to submit revised heads to Government in June seeking approval to have the Bill drafted and published as soon as possible thereafter.

In the context of the Health Bill 2006, the process has begun to review the current inspection system with a view to strengthening the powers available to those involved in inspecting facilities and to extend a strengthened inspection system to public facilities. To this end, a working group has been established and is chaired by the Department to develop the standards for residential care settings for older people. Members include representatives from the Department of Health and Children, the HSE, the Social Services Inspectorate and the Irish Health Service Accreditation Board. The standards are being developed in line with best international practice. These standards will put the resident at the centre of care and aim to ensure that the older person's needs are central to the philosophy of the residential care setting. The national standards will be the level which all residential care settings, both public and private, will be required to meet. It is intended that these standards will be ready in draft form in July and a three-month consultation process will follow enabling all interested parties to give their views.

The Department is preparing legislation to update and clarify the current legislation on eligibility for services. The main aim is to make the system clearer and to bring it up to date with developments in service delivery and technology that have occurred since the Health Act 1970. The legislation will define specific health and personal services more clearly, define who should be eligible for what services, set out clear eligibility criteria, including for older people, and establish when and in what circumstances charges may be made. It will also deal with an appeals framework. The Tánaiste briefed the Cabinet committee on health in November on the progress so far, and aims to bring legislative proposals to Government by the middle of this year. Her intention is to publish a new eligibility Bill by the end of 2006.

I wish to conclude by reiterating that this Government has made services for older people a priority, by supporting older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and by supporting the provision of quality long-term care where it is no longer possible. The significant progress that has been made in terms of the growth in funding available for this sector in recent years, and in particular the investment package put in place in the 2006 budget, is indicative of the Government's commitment to the ongoing development of health funded services for older people. This Bill will ensure the existing subvention scheme for private nursing home care is grounded in primary legislation and the Bill will also go a long way towards helping the Health Service Executive to implement the scheme on a standardised basis across the country. I commend this Bill to the House.

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