Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 Apr 1999

Vol. 503 No. 3

Written Answers. - Report on the Elderly.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

354 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the delay of over a year in publishing the contents of a report with regard to ageing and old people; the plans, if any, he has to act on the report's recommendations; the action, if any, taken in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9895/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I presume the Deputy is referring to the report entitled, Abuse, Neglect and Mistreatment of Older People in Ireland : An Exploratory Study, which was recently published by the National Council on Ageing and Older People.

The study was commissioned by the national council following a request from my Department that it investigate the question of elder abuse in Ireland and advise on how it should be evaluated and responded to.

One of the main recommendations to emerge was that a working group should be established to advise on policy, procedures and guidelines on elder abuse in Ireland. In September 1998 my Department requested the national council to arrange for the publication of the report and suggested that an expert group be appointed, under the direction of the council, to prepare guidelines and advise on appropriate procedures for dealing with the matters raised in the report.

At the time there were a number of vacancies in the membership of the national council and it was without a chairperson. Because of this and the importance of the subject, the council decided to defer further action on the matter until it was back to full strength. The new appointments were made at the end of December 1998 and I understand that at a meeting of the council on 10 February 1999, the establishment of an expert group was discussed. Subsequently the matter was considered by a group of council members at a special meeting and certain proposals to progress matters were put to my Department. My Department has arranged to meet the national council on 6 May and I expect that the functions and membership of the expert group will be agreed at this meeting.

I would like to assure the Deputy that I regard any type of abuse of an older person in a serious light. What I hope will emerge from this exercise is a clear set of definitions, policies, guidelines and procedures which will lessen the possibility of abuse of an older person and where there is a suggestion that it might have occurred, agreed mechanisms for a full investigation and any appropriate responses, where required.