Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Tá áthas orm an deis seo a fháil. Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis na Teachtaí Crowe agus Finian McGrath.

Tá sé thar am go bhfuil an Bille seo againn agus go bhfuil muid ag plé leis an gceist tábhachtach seo. The Health Information Quality Authority is urgently needed. It is ironic that in many residential and nursing homes and in many homes for people with intellectual disability, their kitchens are better scrutinised in terms of health and regulations than the welfare of the residents. We need to put this right urgently. The previous speaker mentioned that 95% of our elderly live at home. Notwithstanding this, we are very concerned about the 5% of our elderly who do not as they need to be protected and to be provided with the best facilities in nursing homes.

As a result of the situation in Leas Cross, my area has become something of a litmus test in this regard. This test should continue to apply given that the situation did not just concern Leas Cross but also the HSE, the issue of responsibility and the matter of other nursing homes cherry-picking the easiest patients. Leas Cross ended up having to deal with many issues for which it was not adequately prepared and there should have been a wider evaluation in that regard. There were problems in Leas Cross and they seem to be the focus of attention while other areas have not been highlighted. We need to look at the broader issues.

The issue of the MRSA virus is an indictment of our system and an indication of some of the deeper problems in our residential institutions and hospitals. The problem indicates there has been a rush to cut corners through such policies as outsourcing cleaning and that the principle of profit before people has been allowed to take hold. This problem has caught up with us now and we can no longer look at the bottom of the balance sheet with regard to issues like cleaning. Cleaning must be done properly and people must be held accountable for how it is done.

I have read that the national development plan will put money into health and plans to provide value for money. However, it seems to miss the point in this regard. If hospitals are dirty and doctors and staff do not observe the highest hygiene standards, heads must roll. Whatever other problems the system may have, it is indefensible that bad hygiene can be accepted. Have heads rolled on account of this, not just the heads of the cleaning contractors who have not done the job properly — perhaps they are not paid enough to do it properly — but also the heads of those who employ them, who can see that standards are not adequate? People must be accountable for standards. Hopefully, the Bill will go some way towards addressing this issue and ensure standards are maintained as they should be.

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