People were being treated like animals in some nursing homes, Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd claimed.
He accused the Government of failing to introduce sufficiently strong legislation to protect the elderly.
"But you have the legislation to close down the nearest chipper if there was anything wrong with it; if there were mouse droppings found in it.
"But what about the elderly who are being abused in some instances? You offer them no protection. This Government has failed to protect those people. I think it is a shameful situation."
Mr O'Dowd challenged the medical profession "to come clean with the knowledge they have, those who are registered owners of some nursing homes".
He was speaking during a debate on a Fine Gael Private Member's motion calling for the introduction of an appropriate inspection regime for nursing homes.
Introducing the motion, party health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey said that without the promised inspectorate, more horror stories about conditions in nursing homes were in store.
"We all remember how fast the Government was able to introduce legislation to make legal the practice of charging elderly patients in nursing homes.
"This is in stark contrast to its failure, despite numerous promises, to bring forward legislation for a statutory, independent inspection regime for all nursing homes, be they public, private or community nursing homes."
Describing the Government's performance as "abysmal", Labour's Seán Ryan said it was quite disgraceful that they did not have the legislation necessary to refund illegal charges paid by people in nursing homes.
Mr Ryan said that problems identified by current inspectors included staffing levels and nursing-policy issues; maintenance of accommodation standards; hygiene problems; lack of activity for residents; poor record-keeping; fire-safety matters; and lack of equipment appropriate to clinical practice.
Minister of State for Health Seán Power said legislation was currently being prepared in the department to provide for the establishment of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and the establishment of the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) function, as part of the HIQA, on a statutory basis. He added that the SSI function would be vested in a new statutory office to be known as the Office of the Chief Inspector of Social Services.
The legislation would also provide for the establishment of a registration system in respect of residential services for children, older people and people with disabilities to replace existing registration procedures in the Health (Nursing Homes) Act and the Child Care Acts.
Mr Power said it was intended that the functions of the office of the chief inspector would, inter alia, include monitoring standards relating to residential services for people with disabilities, older people, children, as well as registering and carrying out inspections relating to those services.
