HIQA oversight of care facilities
Thomas Broughan asks about licensing health care facilities and failures at Áras Attracta, including HIQA’s oversight and the Ombudsman’s role. The Minister says investigations are continuing and the matter will reach Cabinet and the Dáil.
When will the licensing of health care facilities Bill be brought forward? Given the significant failure of HIQA in the Áras Attracta issue, all of us in the House welcome the extension of HIQA's powers to invigilate centres for citizens with intellectual disability. Will the Minister for Health be asked by the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to bring an urgent report to the Cabinet on what happened in that particular facility and examine why HIQA's invigilation process does not seem to have worked in this regard? I also echo the point made by Deputy Fleming about the Ombudsman.
Comment on this
The full investigation of what happened at Áras Attracta is ongoing and, no doubt, once the various investigations - the most serious of which is the criminal investigation by An Garda Síochána - are concluded, the matter will certainly be discussed by the Cabinet. I have no doubt that in due course it will be discussed here as well.