Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The reason I wish to speak on this issue is because I raised it on many occasions when I was my party's deputy spokesperson for health in 1999, including with the then Minister of State, former Deputy Tom Moffatt in October of that year. Deputy Gay Mitchell and I also raised it in a Private Members' motion. I stated then and I will state now that expensive visiting committees go to prisons to protect the rights of prisoners who committed murder, rape, assault and abuse but no inspectorate is in place for nursing homes.

The people to blame for Leas Cross are the Minister and former Minister for Health and Children and the officials in the Department. They knew about it and they were told about it. What really makes me angry is when I raised the issue of a public nursing home in Belmullet, the best the Department of Health and Children could do was to have an open day. I went there and saw an elderly woman up against a wall down which water was dripping. After I raised the issue, a sum of €1 million was made available by the Western Health Board to repair it.

The health board thought it would cover it up by bringing in the then Minister of State, former Deputy Moffatt, and the media. They did not cover it up. Leas Cross was not covered up because it was a scandal waiting to happen. If we had accountability in this country the Minister for Health and Children and the former Minister for Health and Children would be out the door. Two Ministers resigned in Sweden, one because she did not pay her television licence and the other because she did not pay tax for employing a nanny. However, we let our elderly be abused. The health board, the Ministers and the Government knew it. On many occasions in 1999, I spelled it out. Report after report and Minister after Minister stated something would be done. Many other Leas Cross situations exist throughout the State. It is wrong. If it happened in a Third World or any other country, the Opposition would ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to bring in the ambassador for that country and state to him or her we could not allow it to happen. However, it is okay to abuse our own elderly.

This has gone on too long. I want to see the legislation introduced immediately. I want to see an inspectorate put in place and officers going into public and private nursing homes to ensure our loved ones, some of whose parents died for this country, get the best protection from the State. The Government knew about this in October 1999, 2000 and 2001. If accountability existed in the country, two or three Ministers would resign. They should do the honourable thing. We would not have as much abuse in this country if they did their jobs.

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