Seanad Report: What was shown on RTÉ television earlier this week about a nursing home in north Dublin amounted to "vandalism on people", leader of the House Mary O'Rourke said.
"I thought of man's inhumanity to man and all we had about Dachau and all the various events of the last World War, and yet what was happening here in this city - and I am sure in other places around the country - was that awful. It's not just unkindness, it's just vandalism the way people were treated."
They or their relatives paid huge amounts of money for salvation, which they weren't getting. "That woman who was being changed, we should keep that image in our mind - the way she was treated, recklessly and wantonly and in such an awful manner."
Mrs O'Rourke said she agreed with Brian Hayes (FG) that there should be a power to close down any nursing home, if necessary. There were often knee-jerk situations which required knee-jerk responses, they were so terrible. Emergency legislation should be passed to strengthen the 1990 Act.
Praising whistle blowers, the Prime Time programme makers and all those who contributed to "something we should know about", Mrs O'Rourke said that no one running a service for people should get prior notice of an inspection.
Camillus Glynn (FF) said that what was puzzling him was "the people who worked in that home, the professionals. I would say to their peer groups that they should be called before the Fitness to Practise committee."
Tim Dooley (FF) said it was crazy that advance notice of inspections was given to operators who were betraying elderly people and destroying their lives.
Terry Leyden (FF) said the mission statement of the Leas Cross nursing home stated that the care provided to its customers was second to none. Viewers had been brought to tears by the Prime Time programme. He commended the programme makers and the Minister for calling in the Garda to carry out an investigation. Psychological warfare had been carried out against old people.
Derek McDowell (Lab) said the programme had been deeply shocking. "I think this was inevitable given the truly chaotic way in which nursing home places and nursing homes have been put in place in this country in the last few years. The way that has been done is simply that Charlie McCreevy put in place a tax break, and the creation of places has been driven by the need to get bricks and mortar in place before a certain date, and not by planning and not by the assessment of the staff that's available."
John Dardis (PD), deputy Government leader in the House, said in the face of a rapidly ageing population, it was appropriate to introduce measures that would encourage investment in nursing homes. What was done in them was a separate issue to the need for beds and for extra places.
Derek McDowell (Lab) complained that the Minister for Transport had not answered a number of crucial questions he had posed about the future of Aer Lingus.
Mr McDowell also said Minister Martin Cullen appeared to contradict a recent Government statement that advisers were being appointed to advise on the size, type and timing of the sale of a majority shareholding in the national airline.
In response to Paddy Burke (FG), the Minister seemed to say the consultants were there just to sell it, noted Mr McDowell. If that was so, the Minister should clarify what the position was.
The rationale for the disposal was to capitalise the company or to give it access to capital markets, said Mr McDowell. The argument was that the company needed up to a billion euro over the next five to seven years to replace the long-haul fleet. He wondered how the disposal of 50 per cent would do that.