Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

The key issue is a systematic cover up at the heart of our Government because Ministers do not want to take responsibility. Civil servants may have been blamed and shunted off to other public agencies, but political truths are being brought home at the Department of Health and Children and to those with political responsibility in the Houses of the Oireachtas for decisions taken.

There is a question mark over the people to whom we are providing tax breaks to run nursing homes. Is it right and proper that someone who has made two large tax settlements with the Revenue Commissioners in recent years has been given the responsibility through a tax break to operate a nursing home facility? Our priorities are completely wrong in an area in which policy is being driven by a base profit motive. It is one of the reasons we must get to the root of the matter.

The most important reason to establish an independent inspectorate immediately is not necessarily to deal with the cases highlighted by "Prime Time" but to address the vast majority of public and private nursing homes which do good work in the community. As they need an independent inspectorate to vindicate their good names, we need legislation now rather than at the end of the year.