Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

I start by thanking Deputy Micheál Carrigy for bringing students from Scoil Samhthann in Ballinalee in County Longford to the Public Gallery here today. Many of them are there behind me, including my own cousin, who has very strong connections with west Cork. Aisling Hennessy is here with her fellow students and teachers. They are most welcome.

The private nursing home sector provides an invaluable service to the State with the provision of long-term, short-stay and convalescent beds to the older people in our society. We have a situation at the Aperee nursing home, formerly the Deerpark nursing home, in Bantry where a local private nursing home has gone into receivership. It cannot operate to its full potential as it seems HIQA has a difficulty with it being in receivership, even though negotiations with potential buyers are at an advanced stage. HIQA will not allow the admission of new clients. The nursing home has 18 empty beds and there are seven clients in Bantry General Hospital who wish to avail of these beds. Doing so would make seven acute beds available to Bantry General Hospital. Nine clients originally from the Bantry area are in other nursing homes in counties Cork and Kerry and want to move back to the Bantry area to be close to their families. Can the Tánaiste ensure this situation is rectified speedily so the nursing home can operate to its full potential and beds are made available in the acute hospital that can be utilised for those currently waiting on trolleys? This is not an internal nursing home compliance issue. Simply put, it is a paperwork issue that needs to be resolved immediately.

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