Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, for coming to the House to deal with this matter. It is great to see her.

The issue I wish to raise relates to regulatory impact assessments. We were promised that the Government would cut red tape. "Reform" became part of a ministerial portfolio, the purpose of which was to cut red tape. When I asked how many regulatory impact assessments had been carried out in the Department of Social Protection, I was informed that only one had been carried out. Much bureaucracy and paperwork have been created. In many respects, it is more to do with covering the officials and bureaucrats than improving the system. A red tape report was carried out on Valentia Island. We found that if we could reduce the amount of red tape, 70 jobs would be created. I refer to foreshore licences, planning and other areas.

I wish to focus on nursing homes which are being crippled by red tape. What often happens is that when something goes wrong, as has been the case when patients receive bad care or in certain cases are the victims of cruelty and treated more like prisoners in the 1800s than patients in the 21st century, the follow-on action by the Government involves significant levels of reporting which generates enormous amounts of work for people who are trying to carry on a business. BDO has carried out a cost-pressure survey report on the nursing home sector. Independent commentators have revealed that in the long term the demands placed on nursing homes in terms of pricing are not sustainable. I know the Minister is working hard on that issue. I have been told by people who run nursing homes that paperwork that used to take a couple of hours now takes staff two days to complete and submit. One wonders how many people are required to read the reports.

On a practical level, I accept that the Minister wishes to ensure the necessary care is available, but the over-reaction and bureaucracy created to counteract cases of poor care have stifled the provision of care in some cases and made it unviable for people to continue in the sector at a time when we need more nursing homes, not fewer. People are being squeezed out of the sector, not only because of pricing by the HSE but also because of the level of bureaucracy being created as part of a reporting mechanism. Will the Minister of State outline whether the Government carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the impact of regulations and the practical implications of compliance in terms of staff time required to fill in forms and reporting on an ongoing basis? Was a regulatory impact assessment carried out as to whether we could do it better?

I look forward with interest to the reply of the Minister of State.