Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am assured by the Minister and by the HSE that the HSE has not waited for this report to improve any deficiencies identified in child care and disability services and to act on their recommendations. To repeat the point, HIQA now inspects all residential services for disabilities in line with national standards. A national safeguarding committee has been established, which is independently chaired by Patricia Rickard-Clarke, a former law reform commissioner, to provide strategic direction to the HSE in regard to safeguarding. The new confidential recipient, Leigh Gath, was appointed in 2015 and anyone can make a complaint to her or raise concerns about the care and treatment of any vulnerable person. Those mechanisms are in place.

I would make the point again that it is about ongoing vigilance. It is about making sure that recommendations made by the various bodies, which do the work of overseeing, are implemented. The safeguarding of vulnerable people at risk of abuse policy is in place and additional resources have been made available to ensure it is implemented. Clearly, there are often individual incidents that are completely unacceptable, and all we can do is put in place the mechanisms and services to ensure that, wherever possible, we can prevent such abuses.

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