Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

No matter what is said in this House, the Government has utterly failed in every respect. It has failed in its duty to legislate, it has failed in its duty to give political direction to the health services and it has persistently failed elderly patients in nursing homes. Government representatives come into this Chamber and bleat about what they have done and what they will do, which is a shocking disgrace. They do not have the manners to apologise to the patients who they have let down so badly.

As I pointed out in my contribution before this, the owners of nursing homes had to publish their own set of standards because by waiting for this Government to do something, they would all get tainted with the same bad press as the minority of dangerous nursing homes. Deputy O'Dowd spoke last night about inspections carried out by the HSE year after year. What is the HSE's response? We get a letter from Mr. Aidan Browne, national director of the primary community and the continuing care directorate, defending himself in the media.

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