Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It is a hallmark of this Government that it has no problem breaking promises it makes to the nation. We have had a litany of broken promises in the last period. We recall the promises made immediately after the "Prime Time" exposé of the happenings at Leas Cross nursing home, that there would be a new law within months, national standards and an independent inspectorate. All promises, all broken.

The situation in nursing homes is, in fact, worse. I could paper the walls of my office with the responses given by the Taoiseach and different Ministers about what would be done. We were told there would a national approach from the HSE, that it now has a robust inspection scheme and that it could assure us high standards were being enforced all round. All promises, all broken.

Today we learn from the reporter Fergal Bowers that a report in July of this year, 14 months after the Leas Cross programme, finds that dedicated inspection teams in the HSE are the exception and not the rule. Policies and procedures vary between, and even within, former health board areas and there is no consistency on whom teams report to. He makes the point that inspection teams can express serious concerns about a particular nursing home while, simultaneously, another arm of the HSE continues to place public patients in the same home.

How in the name of heavens can the Taoiseach stand over this? Four Ministers and Ministers of State have been involved in this: the former Minister, Deputy Martin, the current Minister, Deputy Harney, the current Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, and the former Minister of State, Deputy Callely. The Taoiseach refused to apportion responsibility to anyone, either members of the health boards or his Ministers. This is a national scandal.

When Deputy Perry exposed the illegal taking of payments from long-stay patients in public institutions, the Taoiseach was able to introduce legislation within two days to try to make it legal retrospectively so the money could be kept. Here we are, 14 months after the Leas Cross programme, with no legislation or inspection regime. The Taoiseach himself told the House that the inspection regime dealing with Leas Cross was of the highest standards.

The Government has broken the promise on the law and broken the promise on new standards and new inspections. How many more old men and women must spend their last days with weeping bed sores while this debacle continues on this Government's watch? None of the four Ministers or Ministers of State at the Department of Health and Children accept responsibility for this.

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