Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received the report on the Leas Cross inquiry; if not, when she expects to receive it; if she will provide a briefing and copy of the report to relatives of former patients before she publishes same; when she expects to publish this report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10958/09]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The Final Report from the Commission of Investigation, established to investigate the management, operation and supervision of the former Leas Cross Nursing Home was due to be completed and submitted to my colleague the Minister for Health and Children by the end of this month. However, certain issues, outside the control of the Commission, have recently come to light and require to be resolved, which now necessitates an extension of the work of the Commission by approximately six weeks. The Department has been liasing closely with the Commission in recent times in relation to this matter.

This Commission was established by the Government, under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, in the light of the gravity of the issues raised by previous reviews into this nursing home and the resultant public concern surrounding these matters generally. This Act provides that a Commission's Final Report shall be published as soon as possible after submission to a specified Minister, subject to the other requirements of the Act. It was originally intended that the Final Report of this particular Commission would be published and I wish to re-iterate that this remains the position. Following receipt and consideration of the Final Report, the Minister will then be in a position to determine the appropriate steps to be taken, including the issues raised by the Deputy, with a view to publishing the Report of the Commission at the earliest possible date.