The care given to elderly people in some nursing homes was less than that shown to animals, John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) claimed.
He said he did not believe that what happened in the Leas Cross home was an isolated case. "There are many instances I highlighted in the House previously, one being a nursing home in Cabra, which has since closed, where the conditions were appalling," he said.
"Elderly people there were hungry, people who wanted extra food were given slices of bread which were already buttered and it was as if these people were simply commodities.
"Based on the cases I have heard of, some of the elderly are treated with less dignity than that shown to the animals in Dublin Zoo."
Mr Gormley said that because many people emigrated from Ireland in the 1950s, there were fewer elderly people to care for at this stage. "We have, in effect, what is known as a demographic bounce. The position could be much worse than it is."
Mr Gormley was speaking during a debate on the Health (Nursing Homes) (Amendment) Bill, which was introduced by Minister of State for Health Seán Power.
Mr Power said the Bill was designed to ensure the existing subvention scheme for private nursing homes was grounded in primary legislation. It would also help the Health Service Executive (HSE) to implement the scheme on a standardised basis across the State.
He said the maximum rate of subvention payable to a person was determined in the first instance by their level of dependency, with the current rates set at €114.30 weekly for a person of medium dependency, €152.40 in the case of high dependency, and €190.50 at the maximum rate of dependency.
Once a person's rate of dependency had been determined, the HSE carried out a financial assessment of the applicant which took into account the value of income and assets, subject to certain exclusions outlined in the regulations.
Fine Gael health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey said the maximum amount of subvention available was €130 to €150 weekly.
The cheapest nursing home cost was probably about €700 weekly, while the average cost would be about €900 to €1,000.
In Dublin, the cost could be up to €1,500 weekly.
Seán Ryan (Labour, Dublin North) said there was no new strategy for the care of the elderly and no independent inspectorate.
"This is a clear indication, if one is necessary, of the Government's lack of concern for one of the most vulnerable groups in society, those who are no longer able to continue to live in their own homes because of age and infirmity," he added.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) said the Department of Finance's review of tax reliefs had stated that there was considerable variation across different regions in the number of nursing home beds per capita, the costs to the operator per bed, the rate charged per bed and the average occupancy rates.
