Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Why do the Taoiseach and the Government take the attitude that the elderly are so tedious and valueless? Is it because of age itself, that the elderly have in some way withered beyond their shelf life, or is it because of the vulnerability that comes with advancing years? I do not think so. It is because the damning evidence of the men and women who died and were buried from Leas Cross is too stark and too blunt a reminder for the Government to take effective action to ensure it does not happen again.

Deputy O'Dowd exposed the scandal a number of years ago, which involved a failure to report deaths to the health board and that only one in ten admissions had their weight recorded, when the correlation between weight and malnutrition is well known. Some 14% of admissions were recorded as having skin conditions and one can only imagine the wetting, the chafing and the pressure sores. There were deficiencies in pressure sore prevention and cure and in the management of swallowing disorders. An alarming number of people were nursed in buxton chairs and there were damning deficiencies in expertise, nurse numbers and nursing infrastructure. There was a systematic failure by Government, health boards and professional bodies to provide the appropriate quality of care for older people. Overall, the findings are consistent with institutional abuse on the Government's watch.

That is the O'Neill report, a copy of which I read last night and which I have with me. Listen to the author's warning: "Given the lack of structural funding, standards and oversights, the standards in Leas Cross are very likely to be replicated to a greater or lesser extent in institutions throughout the long care system." That is the bible according to Professor O'Neill. Think of how many men and women endure those conditions today, in other locations. Think of them watching a report of these proceedings from their buxton chairs or their day rooms or bedrooms, asking why the Government has not done anything about it in the past 18 months. I ask the same question.

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