Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. I go back to what I said about the difference between home care and home help and the public and private provision of those services. In some instances, the man or woman who comes into an elderly person's house is paid about €9 per hour while the company that sends them in is paid up to €27 per hour. There is no standardisation across the board.

The Government, and the previous Government, were anxious to ensure this service be given out to a private provider in order that it would not be the State's problem. This is the State's problem, however, if we are providing the money for the service. Are the standards, assurances and quality being delivered to the people who need it? I recently saw a media report of a company dealing with vulnerable people in County Wicklow that is under investigation by the Garda. This is not the sort of thing we want to see happening in the future.

A fortnight ago, we had a referendum to enshrine rights for vulnerable children in the Constitution. Elderly people who are living alone are vulnerable adults. Some may be blind or deaf or have a learning difficulty. They do not have the luxury of having their point of view articulated in this House as often as they would like. This is critical, however. We cannot afford to wait until there is another Leas Cross, another hidden camera or, worse, someone is allowed to abuse his or her position so that a life is put in danger.

This is not just about protecting the service user. It is also about protecting the service provider, that is, the individual man or woman who is going into a house to administer care. The establishment of the new training agency, SOLAS, is an opportunity for the Department of Health to agree national standards in order that the service given to every single person, whether a child, a young vulnerable adult or an elderly person living alone, can be inspected by HIQA and the standard of care provided, whether publicly or privately, out of the State's purse is the same for all. This is something we should be trying to achieve.

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