Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
814. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the current status and plans for advancing the Health (Adult Safeguarding) Bill 2017; the legislative timeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36868/20]
View answerIt is presumed that the Deputy's question is referring to the forthcoming Health (Adult Safeguarding) Bill, which is, as yet, undated. The aim of this anticipated Bill will be to underpin, as required, a new overarching national policy on adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector, which is currently under development by my Department further to a Government Decision in December 2017.
A timeline for the preparation of this Bill will be finalised following confirmation of Government approval of this important new sectoral policy. It is currently estimated that the draft policy will be ready for submission to the Government for its approval during 2021, following a public consultation process in early 2021.
As the Deputy will appreciate, development of an overarching sectoral policy of this nature is a complex undertaking, not least because the health and social care sectoral policy will apply across the full spectrum of the Irish health and social care sector including all public, voluntary and private health and social care services and settings and will include proposals on cooperation, collaboration, information-sharing and referral arrangements between the health and social care sector and other relevant sectors. Accordingly, my Department's approach to date has been to undertake the required detailed policy work before formulating the legislation which will underpin it, including legal and policy research, public and stakeholder consultation and resource implication analysis.
Significant preparatory policy development work has been undertaken and the key stakeholder engagement and detailed research phases are essentially complete. Although, in common with other health and social care sector projects, there has been some degree of disruption arising from the Department’s and the wider health system’s lead role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, progress with developing the evidence base and policy has continued throughout 2020.
I trust this is of assistance to the Deputy.
