Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. My question concerns the Law Reform Commission report of December 2011, which set out recommendations on the legal aspects of professional home care. This followed a report in 2010 in the media that people providing professional home care were monitored. In a similar manner to what happened in Áras Attracta, we saw people who were paid to provide home care for one hour stayed for only 15 minutes. The Law Reform Commission report also recommended that there be amending legislation. I have taken the time to have a Private Members' Bill published on the matter.

I want to know if the Minister and the Department intend to deal with the recommendations in the Law Reform Commission report. I know the HSE brought in clear guidelines about how people would be employed in the area of home care but those guidelines are not within a proper regulatory framework. Because I believe there is a need for amending legislation, I introduced the Health (Professional Home Care) Bill 2014 last week and I am anxious. I do not want there to be a scenario in 12 months' time whereby we will have another TV broadcast going back over same ground as 2010 and saying the Department and the HSE are powerless to take any action in the matter. It is in that context that I tabled an Adjournment motion.