Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of home care providers, which was featured on the front page of the Irish Examinerthis morning. The fact is someone can serve five years in Mountjoy jail and still set up a company to provide home care the day after release. There is no regulation governing the matter. I published a Private Members' Bill on the matter over four months ago. Resistance to a debate on the matter came from the Department of Health and not from the Minister. The issue is now out in the public domain. It is scheduled to be a major issue for discussion at a conference taking place in Dublin today. Therefore, I ask that time be allocated for a debate on my Private Members' Bill in this House. The Bill, which is important, seeks to put in place proper regulation to cover people who provide home care. A huge number of people require a professional standard of home care and, therefore, a proper legislative structure should be put in place. The draft Bill has been published and is in this House. I ask that the matter be put on the agenda for a debate at the earliest possible date.