Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy should allow me to answer because he has raised several questions. No one on this side of the House ever attempted to try to cover up this report. Following the television programme about Leas Cross the Health Service Executive asked Professor Desmond O'Neill to write a report on the deaths of residents in Leas Cross. That has been completed but there are difficulties and the HSE was legally advised not to publish it in its present form.

The Minister and former Tánaiste asked the HSE to work on the difficulties in the report to ensure that it would be published. On or about 10 November, next week, the report will be published, yet the Deputy continues to talk about a cover-up. We were always anxious that it would be published. There is little point in my commenting on the details or contents of the report, or the difficulties therein until it is published.

We were surprised at what we saw on the programme on Leas Cross. The decision to go into a nursing home is a serious commitment for any family or individual to make. It is important that we give the individual certain guarantees on the type of care he or she will receive while there. The programme made it obvious that the system operating then was not appropriate to provide what is required and what older people deserve when they go into a nursing home. We have worked on those areas and have promised legislation on that which will be published before the end of the year. We have also drafted new standards. We have made progress in ensuring that older people receive the care they deserve when they enter nursing homes. We never intended to cover up what happened in Leas Cross. We are happy to publish the report and learn lessons from the mistakes made in Leas Cross.

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