Only 49 public nursing-home beds have been provided in Galway in a decade, according to Michael D Higgins (Labour, Galway West).
He added that at the same time, they were told, "in a chilling sentence", that there were no proposals for any public nursing-home space in the next five years, except for some assistance to a voluntary organisation which had gathered funds to provide spaces in the face of Government failure.
"Why are the public not in revolt at this appalling behaviour?" Mr Higgins asked. "Old people are entitled under any concept of citizenship to decent rights."
Dan Boyle (Green Party, Cork South Central) claimed the Government's approach was to try to get as many elderly people as possible into nursing homes, provide as many nursing homes as possible by the private sector in locations far removed from family, community and wider society.
The Government then threw up its hands when it discovered situations like Leas Cross, he added.
"The first source of possible solutions to these problems should be found within the community and family structures.
"The fact that this Government fails to recognise that, and fails to provide adequate resources, means a band-aid approach exists among families and they find they are forced to use nursing homes.
"Social welfare rules restrict pensioners from receiving carer's benefit and 50 per cent of carers are over 60."
Michael Ring (Fine Gael, Mayo) said that every day he saw vulnerable people without resources being assessed by the HSE and told that their loved ones needed a long-stay bed.
"They face very serious problems and, I hate to say, they are being forced by the State to put their loved ones into private nursing homes. They are given a list of such homes and a subvention form.
"That is not correct and I want the Government to write to the carers of the elderly to clarify the law, which it does not seem to know."
He said that the Sacred Heart home in Mayo was excellent and well-run, but in recent years all the HSE could do was reduce the number of beds there.
"I could give many examples of people being pressurised who were unable to stand up for themselves," Mr Ring said.
"I am thinking of the sister who came to my clinic crying and saying she was being intimidated by a doctor. She said she was unable to put up with it any more."
