Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Minister for Health and Children has published the draft heads of the Bill for public consultation and we have had many submissions, none of which came from politicians. The existing nursing home regulations, under which the HSE carries out inspections of private nursing homes, were introduced in 1993 and they were amended. There are regulations, which will now be replaced by newer regulations to be made under the proposed legislation, with the purpose of strengthening the standards for residents in homes.

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