Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 October 2004
188 Mr. O’Shea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her proposals to introduce legislation based on the Protecting Our Future document of 2002; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26032/04]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the report of the working group on elder abuse, Protecting Our Future, was launched on 11 November 2002. This report, in starting with a definition of elder abuse and recommending the putting in place of structures to deal with suspected cases, will hopefully give older people who feel they are the subject of abuse in any shape or form the confidence to report their anxieties, as appropriate, to a social worker, a public health nurse, a member of the Garda Síochána or, indeed, any professional or care worker. One of the recommendations in the elder abuse report is the establishment of a national implementation group. This group was established in December 2003 and has commenced its work.
In addition, funding of €0.8 million was provided in 2003 to commence the elder abuse programme and in 2004 an additional €0.75 million was provided. There are no proposals to introduce legislation in this area at present but this will be kept under review in the light of progress made in implementing the recommendations made in Protecting Our Future.
