Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I agree with the Minister of State that the continuing focus on the elderly in our society is important. We have an aging population and there are many issues requiring attention, some of which we have touched on.

Have the findings of the Mental Health Commission inquiry report, specifically the section 55 inquiry into St. Luke's Hospital and St. Michael's unit, been referred to the Department? The report came out on Friday and it is extremely important that it be referred to the Department and that there is a follow-up from it. Many elderly people are affected by it, some of whom are intellectually disabled and have a range of mental health issues, and it is extremely important that the Department is involved in the follow-up. It raises most serious issues about care of the elderly in our society, particularly in institutional settings where people are most vulnerable.

We have discovered in child abuse cases as well that in residential settings, people can be extremely vulnerable to abuse. This is a complex issue and it is not all about abuse. There is also concern regarding institutional neglect. What action does the Minister of State intend to take in this regard?

With regard to the report presented to the Department last year on the development of guidelines, how will these be implemented and what has the Department been able to do with regard to the HSE policy responding to allegations of elder abuse? Will the Minister of State provide an update on the implementation of that policy, how is it going and whether mechanisms are in place to monitor implementation? More cases are being reported but we have seen in cases of child abuse that there does not always appear to be uniform implementation of the guidelines, which is a key issue to be sure of. Senator Mary White mentioned that also.

I wish to return to the St. Michael's unit and St. Luke's Hospital case. There was a September 2004 report, the recommendations of which were supported by orthopaedic specialists. These have not been systematically addressed, with an apparent delay of three years of action being taken from the time this was reported. The report only came out on Friday but it has serious implications for people in our hospitals. The hospital and residential setting has had a spotlight turned on it but there are other residential units which have not been examined like this. The worry is that if proper guidelines and monitoring are not in place, other elderly people could be at risk of institutional neglect, which is a very serious issue as we have seen from Leas Cross and other reports.

With regard to the community grant scheme, is there a possibility that some flexibility could be introduced or that the scheme could be brought back? The Minister of State seems to be suggesting she is very unhappy about it going. It supported vulnerably elderly people who were living independently alone.