Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Michael Collins and I are sharing time.

Obviously, the Government is committed to strengthening the existing legislation regarding the registration of certain professions such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists. In addition, new legislation is being introduced for the registration of health and social care professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and childcare workers. Of course, we all realise the importance of people working with the elderly or with children in all the different agencies of the State or elsewhere.

We have seen a horrendous case where children under the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, were put in danger and in harm's way. Their parents took their children to HSE representatives who were supposed to nurture and bring on those children in the best way possible, but that did not happen. The exact opposite happened. Those children were harmed while under the care of a designated person appointed by the State. That would be every parent's nightmare. It happened on all of our watch.

I dealt with parents who came to me and said that they were worried about their child. The child was regressing - the child was under care but there was something wrong. We were all hammering away at it. I am so grateful to the whistleblowers and those involved in journalism and other avenues of life who helped to bring this to light.

I am grateful to the HSE. I previously named Mr. Michael Fitzgerald, who did excellent work in County Kerry in dealing with the situation there. I want the same care and consideration to be given to the parents and children from north Kerry. This situation has been at hand in south Kerry, but it is a big worry. It is a big problem but it highlights how something can go wrong.

I know in my heart and soul that nobody in the Government, in the Department of Health or in the HSE set out to harm a child, but it happened. That is frightening. We have to do everything we can to ensure it will not happen again.

The primary purpose of the statutory registration is to protect and guide members of the public so that they can be confident that the professional treating them is fully qualified and competent. Registration also provides the facility for legal action against the very small number of professionals who may harm patients or clients and bring their profession into disrepute through professional misconduct or serious illness.

The legislation for professionals already registered and for the health and social care professionals being registered for the first time will provide for consumer representation on the relevant statutory bodies. I suppose it is about building confidence. The CAMHS issue is one of the issues that would highlight why this legislation is necessary.

There is another thing that I could not let go while I have the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. It comes under the broad umbrella of what we are discussing, which is the delivery of services.

I am sure the Minister of State is aware of the crisis we have with home help at the moment. I have my ordinary little filing system here. It might seem rough, held together as it is with a rubber band, but, between this book and my head, I do not do too badly. A great many people in my constituency have been allocated so many hours of home help in their homes, but that home help is not being delivered to them. The reason it is not is that we do not have the people to hand to provide the service. I am in no way coming in here and saying to the Minister of State that this is her fault; she knows I am not. What I am saying is that it is a problem that I have, that she has, that Deputy Michael Collins has and that everyone else has. It is horrendous to think we have older people and vulnerable people at home, in their houses, without this service. Their ordinary houses are their castles. If I were sick, God knows I would rather be in my own little bothán than in a hospital. Nursing homes and community hospitals are great, but what people want at the end of their time is to be in their own bed, alongside their own fire, if the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, would leave them keep lighting it. They need care and services, and we are failing to provide those services. I just wanted to use this opportunity to bring that to the Minister of State's attention.

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