Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach continues to defend the actions of the Health Service Executive arising from the O'Neill report into the Leas Cross nursing home. Does he accept that anybody on the Government side has responsibility for this matter? Did the former or current Ministers for Health and Children, Deputies Martin and Harney, respectively, or the former or current Ministers of State at the Department, Deputies Callely and Seán Power, respectively, know anything about Leas Cross? Is there any evidence in the Department that any of this quartet of Ministers knew anything about it given that information appeared to be available far in advance of the "Prime Time Investigates" programme?

The Taoiseach referred to legislative action. The HIQA is all about process. Is the Taoiseach prepared to accept a proposal, published by the Fine Gael and Labour parties today, to establish an over-arching patient safety authority? Such a body would change the culture and ethos and make the patient the real centre of attention in the health system. I am concerned by evidence suggesting that the problems described by Professor O'Neill may well be continuing in other places.

The Taoiseach defended the HSE, which has stated it is implementing all of Professor O'Neill's recommendations. This is patently untrue and what is happening is wrong. On 21 June, Professor O'Neill recommended: "Residents (and their families) of any nursing homes that scored poorly in the ERHA tendering process in 2005 for Heavy Dependency/Intermediate Care Beds should be informed of this as a matter of some urgency, as there is a high likelihood that there are residents with high or maximum dependency in all of these nursing homes." The HSE indicated it was implementing this recommendation but we learn today that it has ignored it since last June and refuses to implement it. Is this not another example of the system coming before the individual and the process being more important than the patient? Is it a case of finding a reason for not putting the interests of patients and families first? Is it not time this function was removed from the HSE and a patient safety authority was established and given an over-arching remit in which the patient, as distinct from the process, systems, analyses and the blather in which the HSE is engaged, is the central focus?

As I stated, old people were maltreated, neglected and died. Did four Ministers in the Taoiseach's Government have any knowledge of this matter? Given the difference of opinion on the issue, will anybody accept responsibility or be held accountable for the fact that 105 people died in Leas Cross nursing home?

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