Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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164. To ask the Minister for Health the timeline for bringing forward the Health (Adult Safeguarding) Bill 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50534/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Safeguarding adults who may be at risk of abuse is a key objective of my Department, every statutory body under its aegis and every relevant service that interacts with such adults. A framework of standards, policies and procedures for safeguarding adults in the health and social care sector is in place, and further measures are being developed to strengthen this framework.

The Programme for Government 2025 "Securing Ireland’s Future" includes a commitment to publish a national policy on adult safeguarding for the health and social care sector. This policy will provide a framework for strengthening safeguards across all care settings. My Department, in liaison with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, is currently finalising this new safeguarding policy and I expect this sector wide policy will be brought before Government shortly.

The new policy will build on the structures and processes that are already in place to protect against abuse. Importantly, it will commit to the introduction of safeguarding legislation in the sector and will set out, at a high level, proposed new legislative provisions.

To facilitate the development of appropriate legislation to underpin this sectoral policy, the Government has included a Health (Adult Safeguarding) Bill in its current Legislation Programme. Preparation of this legislation will commence once the national policy has been approved by Government.