Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak. We must ensure that those who are most vulnerable, those who have contributed so much to society, namely, our parents, have the best services. That is not the case currently.

We recently received an opinion of counsel on Leas Cross nursing home and having read it, I see no reason that the report cannot be published. The opinion expresses worries about a judicial review of the report if it is published. Let there be a judicial review and let us test the system. It should be published and we can see what happens. The opinion exposes the total incompetence of the HSE in handling the issue. The level of incompetence is unbelievable and I suggest the Minister tests the system and has that judicial review so we can allow this to be debated in full.

I want to raise the issue of patients in psychiatric homes who are in need of attention. The report of the health inspectorate for this year is extremely critical of the governance of psychiatric homes. It expresses concern bordering on outrage about the treatment of patients, the control of the treatment, the disparity of treatment and the absolute need to bring some sort of order to the situation. Some 22 years after recommendations were made to close unacceptable psychiatric hospitals, nothing has happened. The sooner the Government recognises the urgency in dealing with generations of neglect in this area, the sooner something will be done. We have had so many reports on this issue, as the Minister of State knows, including four recent reports on psychiatric services and suicide. We need no more reports. We need action and implementation of the reports. We accept all the recommendations of the 133 reports made by the Department of Health and Children, but nothing is being done. Many statements and commitments have been made since 2002, yet we are now in late 2006 and very little has taken place to ensure care for the elderly.

I received complaints yesterday on the treatment of people in nursing homes. We must have inspections of nursing homes that are not flagged in advance and that can take place at any hour of the day or night. We have seen models of this in other countries, where very strict inspections occur without notice. This ensures the services in these homes are up the required standards. Given the record of the Government, one can understand that people do not believe statements that have been made over the years. Given its repeated failures in this regard, people simply lack confidence that the Government can or will do anything. Fine Gael policy will ensure, as will the joint policy to be developed by both parties, that people will be protected, their contribution to the State and their specific needs will be recognised and services that should be available to them will be available.

Earlier, while attending a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, I heard a statement regarding nursing home subventions. In the course of the discussion on nursing homes, the urgent need to examine nursing home subvention levels was raised forcefully. I ask the Minister of State to revisit the argument and to consider the points made repeatedly by several Members regarding the need to do so, given the pressures on many families to cater for their loved ones in nursing homes. On 1 January, a raft of increases will be introduced in all nursing homes. Perhaps they will be legitimate in most cases because of increased costs and so on. I ask the Minister of State to examine this issue as part of his function.

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