Press Release: Friday 14 February 2025
Ministers for Health announce the commencement of Section 16 of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Act 2024
- Section 16 provides for new enforcement powers that will apply to residential care centres for older people and people with disabilities to ensure people are receiving safe, quality care.
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD and Minister of State for Older People and Housing, Kieran O’Donnell TD, have today announced the commencement of Section 16 of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Act 2024.
The Act introduced a number of changes to the Health Act 2007, with minor amendments to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 and the Mental Health Act 2001. The Act was signed into law on 17 July 2024. All sections of the Act, with the exclusion of section 16 (compliance notices), were commenced on 23 September 2024.
Section 16 provides for a new enforcement power for the Chief Inspector of Social Services in the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to issue compliance notices to providers of residential care for older people and people with disabilities when they are non-complaint with Regulations.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said:
“The 2024 Act introduced a number of new provisions to strengthen the regulatory framework for residential care for older people and people with disabilities. The commencement of Section 16 enhances the tools available to the Chief Inspector to respond to non-compliance by providers and to make sure that residential centres are safe environments for everyone living there.”
Minister O’Donnell said:
“I am pleased to announce the commencement of Section 16, which will bring increased protections for individuals living in residential centres for older people and centres for people with disabilities. These new enforcement powers will drive improvements in the quality and safety of care for the benefit of residents, their families and the sector as a whole.”