Written answers
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Department of Health
Departmental Policies
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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1804. To ask the Minister for Health if she will establish an independent audit of adult safeguarding services; if she will support establishing an adult safeguarding authority that is independent of the HSE in order to avoid any potential conflicts of interest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58630/25]
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Safeguarding adults who may be at risk of abuse is a key objective for me and my Department, every statutory body under its aegis, and for all health and social care services.
A framework of standards, policies and procedures for safeguarding adults in the health and social care sector is already in place. This includes a National Safeguarding Office in the HSE, specialist Safeguarding and Protection Teams in each health region, designated Safeguarding Officers within services and specific regulatory requirements for residential care services which are inspected against by HIQA and the Mental Health Commission. Further measures are now 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. My Department, in liaison with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, is at an advanced stage of finalising this national policy, the first of its kind in this area. This is a very significant development and will provide a framework for strengthening safeguards across all care settings. Considerable work has already been undertaken to inform this policy, including an international evidence review, stakeholder engagement and a public consultation last year, which received over 250 responses.
Two other important policy papers on adult safeguarding were published in 2024:
- The Law Reform Commission’s Report on “A Regulatory Framework for Adult Safeguarding” (April 2024).
- The independent high-level review of the HSE’s adult safeguarding policy, procedures, structures and options for the future, by Ms Jackie McIlroy: “Moving Forward: Adult Safeguarding in the Health Service Executive”, June 2024.
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. I hope to bring this policy to Government shortly.
The Government has included a Health (Adult Safeguarding) Bill in its current Legislation Programme to facilitate underpinning legislation for this sectoral policy. Preparation of this legislation will commence once the national policy has been approved by Government.
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