Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 55: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will introduce amending legislation to allow HIQA to monitor and enforce standards in private health care institutions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29964/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) was established in May 2007. This represents a crucial element of the Health Reform Programme and is a new departure for the Irish Health Services.

A core function of the Authority is to set standards on safety and quality of health services and to monitor enforcement of these standards in an open and transparent way. The Act gives HIQA strong powers in this area in relation to services provided by the Health Service Executive and bodies funded by the Executive to provide health services on its behalf. The introduction of such regulatory regimes in the public sector in the first instance is a feature of such developments in other jurisdictions. The extension of these provisions to the private sector would involve further legislation of a complex nature.

In January 2007, I established the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance chaired by Dr Deirdre Madden. The Commission is developing proposals to develop proposals for a health service wide system of governance based on corporate accountability for the quality and safety of all health services. One of its terms of reference is to specifically examine and make recommendations in relation to a statutory system of licensing for both public and private health care providers and services. The Commission is expected to issue its report in mid 2008. I am keeping this matter under active review.