Harney to consult AG over Leas Cross report

Minister for Health Mary Harney has suggested she may use Oireachtas privilege to ensure a report into deaths at Leas Cross nursing home is published.

The report, by consultant geriatrician Prof Dermot O'Neill, into deaths at the north county Dublin nursing home, was presented in May to the Health Service Executive (HSE), which had commissioned it.

It remains unpublished as the HSE was given legal advice not to publish it in its current format.

Prof O'Neill, however, has said that his work is complete.

Ms Harney said yesterday there was "clearly an impasse" between the HSE and Prof O'Neill. She said she did not want the report to go unpublished.

"So if I can use the powers that I have, or that an Oireachtas committee has, to make the report public, I am going to do that. But I can only do that on the advice of the Attorney General and I hope to get his advice this week."

Ms Harney said she was also studying the idea of appointing an ombudsman for older people. "It's something I've given consideration to."

She said the establishment of such an office could "play a very important role in keeping the focus on the issues that matter".

Yesterday's conference, organised by Age Action Ireland, heard that 11 per cent of the population is now over the age of 65. Although this is low by European standards, the proportion is growing.

Ms Harney said ageism was "rampant" in Irish society and that there were inadequate supports and services for older people due to lack of investment in the past.

The president of the Human Rights Commission, Dr Maurice Manning, said some of the worst abuses of human rights in this country were perpetrated against older people.

He said research undertaken by the commission on older people in long-stay care "revealed a series of serious human rights abuses".

Niall Crowley, chief executive of the Equality Authority, said allegations of discrimination on grounds of age currently made up 23 per cent of the authority's case files under the Employment Equality Acts. "These cases all involve older people," he said.

The allegations covered job advertisements, job interviews, promotion, dismissal, retirement ages and voluntary severance and redundancy packages, he said.

The age ground accounted for 8 per cent of their case files under the Equal Status Act and involved both young and old with allegations of discrimination over access to motor insurance, travel insurance and public services.

"It is already clear that the legislation needs further development if it is to be effective in implementing equality for older people," Mr Crowley said.

He added that "significant cultural change" was required if we were to break the myths that gave credibility to ageist attitudes.

Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly said she was "time and time again" baffled when she came across "an action by a thoughtless, insensitive bureaucracy as it seeks to deal with an issue concerning an older person".