Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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100. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider introducing legislative changes to the Health Act 2007 to codify a definition of residential service to ensure that all individualised services are required to be registered with HIQA in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7673/23]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Residential services, including residential respite services, which fall under the definition of registered centres as set out in the Health Act 2007, are registered with the independent regulator, the Health Information and Quality Authority HIQA.

The Chief Inspector does not have authority to inspect or regulate residential services that are not designated centres. HIQA determines which services come within its ambit in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions.

Work is well advanced in the Department of Health on preparing regulation of home care and home support services, in the light of feedback from the public consultation. In addition, the HSE is setting up a multi-stakeholder implementation group for the Report on National Expert Review Group on Home Sharing, 2017, to review what can be done in relation to amending the Health Act 2007 so that Home Sharing has a legal / regulatory basis.

While it is not currently intended to codify the definition of residential service to categorise all individualised services, the Department is examining the most appropriate model for regulation of services to persons with disabilities in the light of HIQA report Exploring the regulation of health and social care services, Disability Services, as well as best practice internationally.