Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again thank Deputies Tully and Conway-Walsh. The Government is committed to providing services and support for people with disabilities, which will empower them to live their lives and provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose. It is important to point out that it is almost a year and a half since the House discussed the Brandon report. At that stage, I looked across the Chamber for support for publishing that report. Deputy Pringle was a lone voice at that stage. The importance and relevance of safeguarding need to be understood. In that case it was the HSE. I do not accept that it is just the charitable organisations that lack scrutiny. They all lack scrutiny and they all need to have a proper framework in place to ensure there is reassurance for the families and proper safeguarding mechanisms are in place for individuals living in care settings. There needs to be an understanding of the culture and relationships within all the organisations. I call on the Deputies to work with me on the Brandon report and on putting in place a proper mechanism in relation to it. If that is sorted, we will have a proper process for the entire country as it relates to reassurance.

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