Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)

In 2004 the Sunday Independent reported on the Rostrevor nursing home in Rathgar. It had obtained a report that was dated August 2000. That report described the facility as being dirty and grubby throughout. It referenced an elderly man being fed his meals on a commode. Further inspections revealed that health board recommendations had not been implemented. A frail elderly man was found cold and unkempt. The report said that there was little evidence of continence wear provision for clients. The indignity of this is hard to believe. Four months later, in 2001, ongoing breaches of nursing home regulations were found. The then south-western health board subsequently said that the threat of revocation of the licence was not pursued in 2001 because the issues had been addressed. However, nothing improved. In August 2004, the health board sought an injunction from the High Court to have the home closed. The owner, Therese Lipsett, was fined but the nursing home stayed open. I ask Deputies to bear in mind that Micheál Martin, the famous learner of all the lessons, was the health Minister at the time and throughout this.

If we fast forward to 2011, when Fine Gael was in government with the Labour Party, we will see that HIQA brought the HSE into the same nursing home. All the lessons that were supposed to be learned were not. The Irish Mail on Sundayused the phrase "house of horrors" to describe the conditions. Nothing had changed. When that nursing home was closed down in 2011, I was asked to go there to give some advice to the workers because I was representing healthcare workers at the time. They were migrant workers. They were absolutely petrified. The residents had been taken off. They were the whistleblowers and they were left completely abandoned. Jesus Christ, Minister, when they described to me how they were told to behave, how they were instructed and how the instructions came from the top, I learned about what happens. That is why we are here to look to the Minister of State and the Government to show some leadership on this.

The first time Rostrevor and the Lipsetts, who are the owners, came to public attention was before Leas Cross. The second time was six years after Leas Cross. The latest "RTÉ Investigates" programme is 20 years after Leas Cross, yet we see that very little is changing. The State gives these lucrative contracts to unvetted providers for emergency accommodation, and the provision of services for international protection applicants. You are making millionaires off the back of human misery and indignity, and poor treatment of our older and vulnerable people. You have been warned; it is not just the Opposition saying this. The ESRI told the Government very clearly. Brendan Walsh said:

Ireland is at an important juncture in establishing a sustainable long-term care system for older people. The COVID-19 pandemic had a terrible impact on LTRC residents and workers. But this period also saw large changes in supply, ownership, and financing, and the LTRC sector faces a number of challenges as it emerges from the pandemic.

He went on to say that the system is increasingly reliant on "a small number of profit-driven operators". That is the problem. A small number of people are trying to make a profit off the withholding of incontinence wear from old people. I am struck by the indignity of It. They are making money by cutting corners on incontinence wear, staff and food in order to chase profit, and the Government is facilitating it. The Rostrevor nursing home revelations shocked everyone when they came to light. Micheál Martin was the Minister for Health and Children at the time, and he is the Taoiseach now. There is an unbroken pattern here. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have their hands and their fingerprints all over this because it is their policy.

I could not watch all of the "RTÉ Investigates" programme. I had to look away for some of it because it is heartbreaking. What is most heartbreaking of all is that this is not new. This is not news. This did not just happen. This has been happening for decades. I hope the Minister of State is true to his word today when he says that he is serious about tackling this issue. I hope he does that. He and his legacy will be measured against how elderly people are treated. He knows that people should be given a reasonable choice to stay at home if that is what they want to do. The Government does not give them a choice. It forces them into nursing homes and we see how they are treated. The Minister of State's words are one thing but his actions will tell a lot.

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