Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There was much criticism last year about the fact that home-based services were not being inspected by HIQA. We had a choice and had to prioritise. Clearly, with all the different reports, children had to come first, and then disability services in an institutional setting. The third on that list are the home-based services, not only for older persons. When HIQA sits down to put in place the compliance standards that will be necessary in order to get a licence from it, we will see all of that and those matters will be brought to HIQA's attention.

HIQA recently completed the standards on disabilities and it will be commencing those inspections on 1 July next. We will move on from there. It takes a little time because sometimes when one puts the standards on paper and one goes out to public consultation, there are matters that people would feel were a greater priority, such as quality of life. All of that will be taken into account.

I will find out whether there is a specific bar to somebody doing that as opposed to whether he or she is asked to do it.