Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The O'Neill report on the Leas Cross nursing home served as an indictment of successive Governments and of the health board and Health Service Executive bureaucracies which presided over a system that allowed the old and the vulnerable to be disgracefully neglected in nursing homes. I have little doubt that inadequate staffing, inadequate care and, most seriously, inadequate vigilance on the part of State authorities led to the deaths of patients at Leas Cross and other nursing homes.

The terms of reference given to Professor Des O'Neill were flawed because they provided only for a documentary inquiry. The relatives of the deceased were not given the opportunity to participate, even though they have valuable evidence to give regarding the treatment of their loved ones. For that reason, the establishment of this commission of investigation into the Leas Cross nursing home scandal is very welcome. I hope the relatives of the deceased will be given full access and be permitted to tell their stories to the investigation.

Some further points need to be made in the context of establishing this investigation. The Government must implement the recommendations of the National Economic and Social Forum's report, Care for Older People. It needs a clear strategy to end the over-reliance on private nursing homes for the care of older people and to ensure that all those who wish to be cared for in their homes can be facilitated with the full support of all relevant State services.

The Department of Finance's report on tax incentives states that the tax incentive was one of the factors which led to an increased number of nursing home places. However, it also states that there is considerable variation across the regions in the number of nursing home beds per capita, the costs to the operator per bed, the rate charged per bed and average occupancy rates. The report further states:

The weekly cost of places has risen over the last number of years. Indecon survey evidence suggests that the tax incentive scheme had been ineffective in reducing the increase in the cost of nursing home accommodation.

This clearly shows the flawed Government approach of using tax incentives for developers as a means of delivering an important social policy, namely, care of the elderly. The money forgone by the State in these tax incentives would be better spent in direct provision of care for the elderly in their homes, in day care centres and in residential homes established and run by the Health Service Executive and not-for-profit organisations.

See this speech in context