Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

I want to speak to amendment No. 234 and in general to this area of regulation. I speak of this and while there is not a direct link, there is absolute correlation. I am going to mention the RTÉ Investigates programme and the HIQA report, HIQA having been in with the health committee this morning. The reason I bring it up is that I do not ever want to see this State being in a position where the abuses we saw of older people in that RTÉ Investigates programme are perpetrated on those who are suffering with their mental health. I am also very deeply concerned that any regulation around this specific area, should there be changes made to the regulations for HIQA that are transferable to the commission, that they need to be part and parcel of it. In terms of the adult safeguarding Bill, any regulation that is applicable here also needs to be put in very strongly. This is not just a HSE versus private provider issue. Of the 95 nursing homes, 52 of them are actually HSE and 40-odd of them are privately owned. In 2023, according to VHI, it paid out €83 million to its subscribers for private psychiatric hospitals. That was an annual increase from €74.5 million in 2022. Since 2019 there has been a 21% increase, so there is that balance there. There is the growing area of private mental health providers that need to be regulated as much as the public providers, but regulated strenuously. We need to take all possible availabilities both now and in the future. I know I am almost speaking as if I had a crystal ball about what may happen into the future in terms of adult safeguarding. We need a commitment that in the case of any moves there that relate to mental health, there will be an amendment brought back before the Dáil so that we can amend the legislation to update it in terms of any future policies or legislation that will be introduced.

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