This morning I want to raise the issue of safeguarding. We saw a very positive development last week from the Department of Health and led out by all of the Ministers involved in safeguarding. It was the publication of a policy framework for adult safeguarding. For far too long we have been looking for a framework when it comes to adult safeguarding. The real reason I am standing here is, first and foremost, I would love for us to have statements on adult safeguarding when we come back in the new year. There are really good commitments made within the framework that within six months a lot of the implementation work will have begun. I would love the Minister to come before us here to outline and make us all aware of the changes we can expect when it comes to adult safeguarding. Adult safeguarding is an issue that I raised for a long number of years, along with an awful lot of other people, with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. It protects people in vulnerable situations. It protects people who are in nursing homes and those who are in residential care. We have a really good element of safeguarding already in Children First but adult safeguarding involves measures to protect not just the individual, but also the staff. It sets out a very principled framework as to what the triggers are and how one goes about doing one's job to protect individuals who are vulnerable or at risk. For far too long, we have had a legacy, involving far too many adults and children, of not having the policy framework documents to protect the staff who protect them. We have seen it addressed in Children First and we are now seeing the first step now in adult safeguarding. I take this issue very seriously. I would actually go one step further and say we should have an adult safeguarding office, independent of the HSE and the Department, in order that we would have full oversight to completely protect the vulnerable adults in our community.

Hear, hear.

I have no doubt the Leader will ensure the relevant Minister will come to the House for statements on this issue. I have spoken in the past about the Brandon case in Donegal. We had the Grace case in Waterford. We have many cases and we have to put these learnings into action. There is no point in having reports if we do not have proper frameworks. This is a really positive step but we now need to understand what is the meat that will go on the bone to ensure there is proper protection and a proper rulebook for how people can flag issues if they identify where a person is at risk.

Well said.