Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

Is the Minister of State saying that senior HSE staff did not pass on concerns raised with them regarding Leas Cross, or any similar institutions, in the past six years, to any Minister? Were the Ministers blissfully unaware of what was happening in nursing homes around the country? While that may not verge on negligence, it verges on incompetence. It is almost criminal in regard to the senior HSE staff involved. It will be important for the Minister of State, when publishing the report on 10 November, to make clear what everybody, particularly the political Executive, knew.

Ever since the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, washed his hands of all responsibility for the health services, this hand-washing seems to be endemic in Ministers. How can the Minister of State expect us to believe that he will look after elderly people when he has postponed all the relevant legislation until after the next general election? The Minister of State should make clear when he publishes the report how much he and each of the Ministers in the Department knew because its comments on the senior HSE staff and the Ministers is damning.

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