Labour calls for urgent action on disability care failures
Labour’s Disability spokesperson Senator Laura Harmon has condemned the appalling conditions uncovered in a HIQA inspection of Sunbeam House Services, which found restrictive practices, poor safeguarding management, inadequate staffing, and a failure to provide proper behavioural support for residents with intellectual disabilities.
Senator Harmon said:
“It is utterly unacceptable that in 2025, people with disabilities are still being subjected to unsafe and degrading living conditions. No one should have to live their life feeling scared and unheard. This HIQA report makes for distressing reading, exposing how Sunbeam House Services failed to put in place even the most basic protections for residents.
“We know that people with disabilities are at far greater risk of abuse, and yet once again, the systems in place have failed to keep them safe. Inclusion Ireland has said that history is repeating itself, with institutionalised practices and human rights denied. This is deeply distressing, and we must ensure that these failings are never allowed to happen again.
‘It was most concerning that HIQA found that Sunbeam House did not have sufficient governance and management systems in place to protect residents from abuse. I support Inclusion Ireland’s calls for swift and immediate action in relation to this.
“Three months on from a General Election where disability was a key issue, we now have yet another damning report showing people with disabilities being failed by the state. This is not just a failure of one service—it is a systemic failure of governance, accountability, and care. The people affected must be given urgent support, including independent advocacy and counselling. They must also have a real choice over where they live. No one should be forced to stay in a place where they do not feel safe.
“The Government must act now to move those affected into safe and appropriate housing, with the support they need to live independently. We need immediate evidence that residents in unsafe homes will be given the option to move into homes of their own, where their rights and dignity will be respected.
“People with disabilities deserve more than just words—they deserve action. The Government must deliver on the promises they made during the election. No more reports, no more empty commitments. It’s time for real change.”