Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health if it will become compulsory for inspections of private and voluntary intellectual disability facilities to be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55147/12]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he is committed to having the publication of the standards and new system of Inspection of Private and Voluntary Intellectual Disability Services published by January 2013; if he will ensure that the inspections will be independent and of a high standard and that no further delays will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55242/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 459 and 473 together.

This Government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable people with disabilities in residential services are safeguarded and protected, and that their quality of life is enhanced. With this in mind, the current Programme for Government includes a specific commitment to put the draft standards developed by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on a statutory footing and ensure that the services are inspected by HIQA. These draft standards outline what is expected of a provider of services and what a person with a disability, his or her family, and the public can expect to receive from residential care services. A public consultation process has recently been completed by HIQA on the draft standards document and it is now in the process of being finalised and submitted to the Board of the Authority. The final agreed standards will then be forwarded to my Department for approval with an anticipated publication date in January 2013. It is expected that the new regulatory system which will allow for a robust registration and inspection of Residential Centres should be up and running by mid 2013.

Work is also continuing in my Department on both the 'Registration and Inspection' regulations and the 'Care and Welfare' regulations required to bring the standards into law. These are being developed taking into account the lessons learned from similar regulations for nursing homes. My Department has also been in active engagement with HIQA on the level of resources and staffing needed. 10 posts which will enable the Authority commence preparatory work for the registration and inspection regime have already been approved. My Department is continuing discussions with HIQA to determine the longer term staffing and resource requirements and these will be considered further in the context of the Department's 2013 estimates. While the HIQA standards have yet to be put on a statutory footing, it is worth noting that compliance with the HIQA standards is already included in the Service Level Arrangements between the HSE and service providers in the disability sector.