Dáil vote · 2 July 2025

Nursing Homes: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

Amendment put

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What this vote means

Policy motion · Amendment

This is a vote on an amendment. Tá and Níl refer to that amendment, rather than the whole Bill or motion. Check whether it proposes adding, removing or replacing words.

A policy motion expresses the House's position or calls for action. It does not itself change the law or legally require the Government to carry out the policy requested.

The exact wording is not supplied in this division record. Check the official debate.

Tá means yes and Níl means no to the exact question put. The vote alone does not establish a TD's full position or reasons.

DáilDex interpretation of the official wording.

Oireachtas definitions

The result

Carried

Tá (yes): 84
Níl (no): 64
Staon (abstain): 0

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Duncan Smith and Ivana Bacik.

Official record Read the debate

How each party voted

Party	Tá	Níl	Staon	No vote	Most voted
Fianna Fáil	42	–	–	6	Tá
Sinn Féin	–	31	–	8	Níl
Fine Gael	34	–	–	4	Tá
Independent	8	3	–	4	No whip
Labour Party	–	11	–	–	Níl
Social Democrats	–	10	–	1	Níl
Independent Ireland	–	2	–	2	Níl
People Before Profit-Solidarity	–	2	–	1

How every TD voted

Showing 174 of 174 TDs

Aengus Ó SnodaighSinn Féin · Dublin South-Central
Níl
Aidan FarrellySocial Democrats · Kildare North
Níl
Aindrias MoynihanFianna Fáil · Cork North-West
Tá
Aisling DempseyFianna Fáil · Meath West
Tá
Alan DillonFine Gael · Mayo
Tá
Alan KellyLabour Party · Tipperary North
Níl
Albert DolanFianna Fáil · Galway East
Tá
Ann GravesSinn Féin · Dublin Fingal East
Níl
Barry HeneghanIndependent · Dublin Bay North
Tá
Barry WardFine Gael · Dún Laoghaire
No vote
Brendan SmithFianna Fáil · Cavan-Monaghan
Tá
Brian BrennanFine Gael · Wicklow-Wexford
Tá
Brian StanleyIndependent · Laois
Níl
Carol NolanIndependent · Offaly
Níl
Cathal CroweFianna Fáil · Clare
No vote
Catherine ArdaghFianna Fáil · Dublin South-Central
Tá
Catherine CallaghanFine Gael · Carlow-Kilkenny
Tá
Catherine ConnollyIndependents 4 Change · Galway West
Níl
Cathy BennettSinn Féin · Cavan-Monaghan
No vote
Charles Ward100% RDR · Donegal
Níl
Charlie McConalogueFianna Fáil · Donegal
Tá
Christopher O'SullivanFianna Fáil · Cork South-West
No vote
Cian O'CallaghanSocial Democrats · Dublin Bay North
Níl
Ciarán AhernLabour Party · Dublin South-West
Níl
Claire KerraneSinn Féin · Roscommon-Galway
Níl
Colm BrophyFine Gael · Dublin South-West
Tá
Colm BurkeFine Gael · Cork North-Central
Tá
Conor D. McGuinnessSinn Féin · Waterford
Níl
Conor SheehanLabour Party · Limerick City
Níl
Cormac DevlinFianna Fáil · Dún Laoghaire
Tá
Danny Healy-RaeIndependent · Kerry
No vote
Dara CallearyFianna Fáil · Mayo
Tá
Darragh O'BrienFianna Fáil · Dublin Fingal East
Tá
Darren O'RourkeSinn Féin · Meath East
Níl
David CullinaneSinn Féin · Waterford
Níl
David MaxwellFine Gael · Cavan-Monaghan
Tá
Denise MitchellSinn Féin · Dublin Bay North
Níl
Dessie EllisSinn Féin · Dublin North-West
Níl
Donna McGettiganSinn Féin · Clare
Níl
Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireSinn Féin · Cork South-Central
Níl
Duncan SmithLabour Party · Dublin Fingal East
Níl
Eamon ScanlonFianna Fáil · Sligo-Leitrim
Tá
Edward TimminsFine Gael · Wicklow
Tá
Emer CurrieFine Gael · Dublin West
Tá
Emer HigginsFine Gael · Dublin Mid-West
No vote
Eoghan KennyLabour Party · Cork North-Central
Níl
Eoin HayesSocial Democrats · Dublin Bay South
Níl
Eoin Ó BroinSinn Féin · Dublin Mid-West
No vote
Erin McGreehanFianna Fáil · Louth
Tá
Fionntán Ó SúilleabháinSinn Féin · Wicklow-Wexford
Níl
Frankie FeighanFine Gael · Sligo-Leitrim
Tá
Gary GannonSocial Democrats · Dublin Central
Níl
Ged NashLabour Party · Louth
Níl
George LawlorLabour Party · Wexford
Níl
Gillian TooleIndependent · Meath East
Tá
Grace BolandFine Gael · Dublin Fingal West
Tá
Helen McEnteeFine Gael · Meath East
Tá
Hildegarde NaughtonFine Gael · Galway West
Tá
Holly CairnsSocial Democrats · Cork South-West
No vote
Ivana BacikLabour Party · Dublin Bay South
Níl
Jack ChambersFianna Fáil · Dublin West
Tá
James BrowneFianna Fáil · Wexford
Tá
James GeogheganFine Gael · Dublin Bay South
Tá
James LawlessFianna Fáil · Kildare North
Tá
James O'ConnorFianna Fáil · Cork East
Tá
Jen CumminsSocial Democrats · Dublin South-Central
Níl
Jennifer Carroll MacNeillFine Gael · Dún Laoghaire
Tá
Jennifer Murnane O'ConnorFianna Fáil · Carlow-Kilkenny
Tá
Jennifer WhitmoreSocial Democrats · Wicklow
Níl
Jerry ButtimerFine Gael · Cork South-Central
Tá
Jim O'CallaghanFianna Fáil · Dublin Bay South
Tá
Joanna ByrneSinn Féin · Louth
Níl
Joe CooneyFine Gael · Clare
Tá
Joe NevilleFine Gael · Kildare North
Tá
John BradySinn Féin · Wicklow
Níl
John ClendennenFine Gael · Offaly
Tá
John ConnollyFianna Fáil · Galway West
Tá
John CumminsFine Gael · Waterford
Tá
John LahartFianna Fáil · Dublin South-West
Tá
John McGuinnessFianna Fáil · Carlow-Kilkenny
No vote
John Paul O'SheaFine Gael · Cork North-West
Tá
Johnny GuirkeSinn Féin · Meath West
No vote
Johnny MythenSinn Féin · Wexford
Níl
Keira KeoghFine Gael · Mayo
Tá
Ken O'FlynnIndependent Ireland · Cork North-Central
Níl
Kevin Boxer MoranIndependent · Longford-Westmeath
Tá
Kieran O'DonnellFine Gael · Limerick City
Tá
Liam QuaideSocial Democrats · Cork East
Níl
Louis O'HaraSinn Féin · Galway East
Níl
Louise O'ReillySinn Féin · Dublin Fingal West
Níl
Maeve O'ConnellFine Gael · Dublin Rathdown
Tá
Máire DevineSinn Féin · Dublin South-Central
Níl
Mairéad FarrellSinn Féin · Galway West
No vote
Malcolm ByrneFianna Fáil · Wicklow-Wexford
Tá
Marian HarkinIndependent · Sligo-Leitrim
Tá
Marie SherlockLabour Party · Dublin Central
Níl
Mark WallLabour Party · Kildare South
Níl
Mark WardSinn Féin · Dublin Mid-West
Níl
Martin DalyFianna Fáil · Roscommon-Galway
Tá
Martin HeydonFine Gael · Kildare South
Tá
Martin KennySinn Féin · Sligo-Leitrim
Níl
Mary ButlerFianna Fáil · Waterford
Tá
Mary Lou McDonaldSinn Féin · Dublin Central
No vote
Matt CarthySinn Féin · Cavan-Monaghan
Níl
Mattie McGrathIndependent · Tipperary South
Níl
Maurice QuinlivanSinn Féin · Limerick City
Níl
Michael CahillFianna Fáil · Kerry
Tá
Michael CollinsIndependent Ireland · Cork South-West
Níl
Michael FitzmauriceIndependent Ireland · Roscommon-Galway
No vote
Michael Healy-RaeIndependent · Kerry
Tá
Michael LowryIndependent · Tipperary North
Tá
Michael MoynihanFianna Fáil · Cork North-West
Tá
Michael MurphyFine Gael · Tipperary South
Tá
Micheál CarrigyFine Gael · Longford-Westmeath
Tá
Micheál MartinFianna Fáil · Cork South-Central
No vote
Naoise Ó CearúilFianna Fáil · Kildare North
Tá
Naoise Ó MuiríFine Gael · Dublin Bay North
Tá
Natasha Newsome DrennanSinn Féin · Carlow-Kilkenny
Níl
Neale RichmondFine Gael · Dublin Rathdown
No vote
Niall CollinsFianna Fáil · Limerick County
Tá
Niamh SmythFianna Fáil · Cavan-Monaghan
Tá
Noel GrealishIndependent · Galway West
Tá
Noel McCarthyFine Gael · Cork East
Tá
Norma FoleyFianna Fáil · Kerry
Tá
Pa DalySinn Féin · Kerry
Níl
Pádraig Mac LochlainnSinn Féin · Donegal
Níl
Pádraig O'SullivanFianna Fáil · Cork North-Central
Tá
Pádraig RiceSocial Democrats · Cork South-Central
Níl
Paschal DonohoeFine Gael · Dublin Central
Tá
Pat BuckleySinn Féin · Cork East
Níl
Pat the Cope GallagherFianna Fáil · Donegal
Tá
Patrick O'DonovanFine Gael · Limerick County
Tá
Paul DonnellySinn Féin · Dublin West
Níl
Paul LawlessAontú · Mayo
Níl
Paul McAuliffeFianna Fáil · Dublin North-West
Tá
Paul MurphyPeople Before Profit-Solidarity · Dublin South-West
Níl
Paul Nicholas GogartyIndependent · Dublin Mid-West
No vote
Paula ButterlyFine Gael · Louth
Tá
Peadar TóibínAontú · Meath West
Níl
Pearse DohertySinn Féin · Donegal
Níl
Peter 'Chap' CleereFianna Fáil · Carlow-Kilkenny
No vote
Peter BurkeFine Gael · Longford-Westmeath
Tá
Peter RocheFine Gael · Galway East
Tá
Réada CroninSinn Féin · Kildare North
Níl
Richard Boyd BarrettPeople Before Profit-Solidarity · Dún Laoghaire
No vote
Richard O'DonoghueIndependent Ireland · Limerick County
No vote
Robert O'DonoghueLabour Party · Dublin Fingal West
Níl
Robert TroyFianna Fáil · Longford-Westmeath
No vote
Roderic O'GormanGreen Party · Dublin West
Níl
Rory HearneSocial Democrats · Dublin North-West
Níl
Rose Conway-WalshSinn Féin · Mayo
Níl
Ruairí Ó MurchúSinn Féin · Louth
Níl
Ruth CoppingerPeople Before Profit-Solidarity · Dublin West
Níl
Ryan O'MearaFianna Fáil · Tipperary North
Tá
Seamus HealyIndependent · Tipperary South
No vote
Séamus McGrathFianna Fáil · Cork South-Central
Tá
Seán CanneyIndependent · Galway East
Tá
Seán CroweSinn Féin · Dublin South-West
No vote
Sean FlemingFianna Fáil · Laois
Tá
Seán Ó FearghaílFianna Fáil · Kildare South
Tá
Shane MoynihanFianna Fáil · Dublin Mid-West
Tá
Shay BrennanFianna Fáil · Dublin Rathdown
Tá
Shónagh Ní RaghallaighSinn Féin · Kildare South
No vote
Simon HarrisFine Gael · Wicklow
No vote
Sinéad GibneySocial Democrats · Dublin Rathdown
Níl
Sorca ClarkeSinn Féin · Longford-Westmeath
Níl
Thomas ByrneFianna Fáil · Meath East
Tá
Thomas GouldSinn Féin · Cork North-Central
No vote
Timmy DooleyFianna Fáil · Clare
Tá
Tom BrabazonFianna Fáil · Dublin Bay North
Tá
Tony McCormackFianna Fáil · Offaly
Tá
Verona MurphyIndependent · Wexford
No vote
William AirdFine Gael · Laois
Tá
Willie O'DeaFianna Fáil · Limerick City
Tá

The full text TDs voted on

This vote decided amendment No. 1. It deletes the motion's wording and puts its own text in its place. Tá supported replacing the original text; Níl opposed replacing it. Neither is a vote on the original motion by itself.

A motion can bundle several proposals together. Tá or Níl applies to the whole question put, so a TD may agree with one part and still vote against it because of another. Read the full wording, and the debate where TDs gave their reasons, before treating this vote as a position on any single point.

The motion as movedMoved by Deputy Marie Sherlock on Wednesday, 2 July 2025

That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— investigative journalism by RTÉ has again exposed distressing and unacceptable practices and conditions in private Irish nursing homes, 20 years on since the Leas Cross scandal;
— the failure of the State to provide sufficient public long term residential care places has led to the growing privatisation of nursing home care, while the State picks up the majority of costs through the Fair Deal scheme;
— 30 per cent of nursing homes were privately owned 20 years ago, rising to nearly 80 per cent now, with Emeis Ireland one of the largest operators, with 27 nursing homes;
— research by the Economic and Social Research Institute, since the Covid-19 pandemic, outlines the consolidation of the sector into larger operator groups, and the decline of independently owned, family run nursing homes;
— there are serious shortcomings in the inspection and enforcement regime by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), with inadequate regulatory oversight, ambiguity in the application of existing powers, and a lack of appropriate powers beyond the power to stop admissions or remove a license;
— there are no minimum staffing levels required in nursing homes, or binding guidance provided to operators;
— there is no sectoral pay agreement in place, and the 2023 PwC report entitled "Challenges for Nursing Homes in the Provision of Older Persons Care - Private and Voluntary Nursing Home Sector", documents a staff turnover rate in the private nursing home sector of up to 38 per cent for nurses, and 54 per cent for healthcare assistants; and
— the Ombudsman's Wasted Lives: Time for a better future for younger people in Nursing Homes report, updated in 2024, documents that over 1,200 people under 65 remain in nursing homes due to a lack of appropriate alternatives;
recalls that:
— the French parent company of Emeis Ireland, formerly known as Orpea, required a State-led bailout in 2022, after the publication of Gravediggers, a book exposing the mistreatment of care residents, where the company maximised its profits and dividends to shareholders, based on a complex strategy of drastic cost cutting and the maximum use of public funding; and
— the Law Reform Commission published a comprehensive report on A Regulatory Framework for Adult Safeguarding in April 2024, and the Programme for Government commits to a new national policy in the health and social sector;
recognises that:
— the nursing home sector has become dominated by big business, and a for-profit model will not provide the standard of care demanded by families and carers;
— with an increased role for home care support for older persons in future years, the profile of nursing home patients will become more complex, more dependent, and in need of greater levels of specialised care in the future;
— increased powers and resourcing for HIQA alone will not resolve concerns about a profit-led model of care;
— the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of residents in private nursing homes; and
— the Commission on Care for Older People is examining the provision of health and social care services and supports for older people; and
calls on the Government to:
— take clear steps to ensure the State takes over the 27 nursing homes controlled by Emeis Ireland;
— prioritise the quality and safety of care of older persons in overhauling how nursing homes are funded and regulated, and provide HIQA with stronger enforcement powers;
— fundamentally reform the Fair Deal funding model for nursing homes – public, private and voluntary, starting with an end to the individualised negotiation process between the National Treatment Purchase Fund and provider, the introduction of service level agreements, ringfencing of funding for labour costs, and the introduction of specific rules relating to the control of the nursing home property and operating company;
— legislate to ensure minimum safe staffing levels, and implement the outstanding recommendations in the Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel report, and the 2022 Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Healthcare Assistants;
— require nursing home operators, in receipt of public funding, to recognise trade unions and engage in collective bargaining, to ensure competitive rates of pay, terms and conditions;
— ensure nursing home operators provide professional development education for staff within working hours, including mandatory safeguarding, infection prevention and control, and dignity at work training;
— limit all new nursing homes operations to 84 beds, and set out a schedule for all existing nursing homes to transition to an agreed appropriate size with HIQA;
— ensure the revised National Development Plan includes a funded programme to develop new public long term residential care, through community nursing homes, to meet the needs of our aging population;
— implement the Law Reform Commission report, by passing the required legislation as a priority in the autumn and establishing an independent national agency;
— introduce a new Fair Deal for care by implementing the long delayed statutory Home Support Service for Older People scheme, to support older people to age positively in their own home and community;
— adequately resource the home care sector, to deliver more care in the community and introduce a Fair Deal one-stop-shop, to support families and reduce red tape; and
— finally implement the recommendations of the 2021 Ombudsman's Wasted Lives: Time for a better future for younger people in Nursing Homes report, and commit to fully funding the under 65s programme office.

Amendment No. 1Decided in this voteMoved by Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"recognises that:
— a national policy on adult safeguarding will be introduced for the health and social care sector, as set out in the Programme for Government, and this policy will commit to the development of adult safeguarding legislation for the sector, including nursing homes, and will build on the range of existing legislation, policies, and procedures already in place in the sector for preventing, reporting, and responding to abuse;
— a framework for safe nurse staffing and skill mix will be developed for nursing homes, and this framework is a systematic, evidence-based approach to determine the number of nurses and Health Care Assistants required to provide safe and quality care, based on patient need/dependency; and
— the remaining provision, Section 68 of the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023, will be commenced, providing additional powers for the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)/Chief Inspector with regard to serious patient safety incidents in nursing homes, and the Chief Inspector will have the power to carry out a review of an incident which may have caused an unintended or unanticipated death or serious injury to the patient, and which occurred in the course of the provision of care to that patient;
notes that:
— a review will be established of the effectiveness of the Chief Inspector's inspection and monitoring processes, and this review will include such elements as how to further strengthen the monitoring of leadership, culture and governance in designated centres, how to better capture indicators of staff culture and other areas of service delivery, which is critical for safe and good quality support for residents;
— a plan for additional public nursing home bed capacity will be published, and the Department of Health, alongside the Health Service Executive, is currently developing a new public long-term residential care additional capacity plan, which will be published in 2025, and the delivery of additional public long-term residential care capacity is required to deliver on Programme for Government, Sláintecare, and Project Ireland 2040 commitments;
— new design standards for long-term residential care settings for older people across all sectors will be created, describing what good building design looks like for long-term residential care settings for older people, and providing a common benchmark against which the standard of these settings can be measured, and the Department of Health report entitled 'Design Guide for Long-Term Residential Care Settings for Older People Public Consultation Report', was published in January 2025;

Wording as published in the official Dáil record, unedited. Read the debate