Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the Minister of State to the House this evening. I pay tribute to Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell in particular for bringing this extremely important motion to the House. I am also delighted that the amendment has been withdrawn. This is an extremely important motion and something with which we are all in agreement. The motion is too important for dissent. The issue is one that every single Member will have to face.

I welcome Angela Edgehill from the Irish Hospice Foundation and other visitors who are present. I met Angela last year through work with Think Ahead. I have worked closely with her on some areas and got to know a lot about the Think Ahead project and the excellent work it does. I was concerned last year when I read in a briefing document provided by Think Ahead that in 16 counties in Ireland there is no access to hospice beds. Could the Minister of State indicate whether the situation has improved this year? The number of patients denied admission to hospice beds last year was 2,470. Has the situation improved and are we moving in the right direction?

The briefing document provided by Think Ahead is excellent. The proposal is to introduce an initiative to which everyone in the country has access. That is the way to go. I had some brochures in my office last year which I offered to people having raised the subject with them. We are all aware that it is something that can happen. Some of us might be prepared for it but others, as we in this House know only too well, can be struck down and our lives can change in a matter of minutes. It is very important that those who care for us and will be left behind know our wishes and that we make whatever preparation we can. I have discussed the matter with others and I have attended briefing sessions. I never met one person who said the subject was too morbid and they did not want to talk about it. The document provides the key information on what we can do in terms of care and treatment. It also goes into care preferences and how people want to be cared for. Even in our own families some say they want to be cared for in hospital while others want to be taken home. It is important to make known our cultural and religious preferences. Important information is provided on legal and financial provision. It is also important to think about what we want when we die in terms of services and readings. When I discussed it first with Angela I questioned whether people would want to talk about such matters, but it is something that must be discussed. Organ and body donation and post mortem arrangements are also worthy of consideration.

An important subject is where to find important documents. I am probably the world's worst for knowing where policies are. I am great at having them but if someone were to ask me where they are I would not know. Such things could be very important when someone dies if he or she only has a single current account rather than a joint account, as can very often be the case in houses where the main breadwinner passes away and the other person does not know where to access all the documents. I have an example of a form which simply goes through every single aspect and allows one to indicate one's wishes. It is a very sad topic, but I wish to introduce a lighter note. When I brought the document home after I had read through it I said to my children that I was going to fill in the form and that we would look at it together. To this day, it has become one of the biggest laughing points. Every time I do something that annoys the children, they say "That's it - we are going to do this or that."

When I was a music teacher, I often played music at funerals, so I know how important it can be for the family and friends of the deceased. It is important we pick the appropriate hymns and readings to show our respect for the deceased. I do not mean any disrespect but when I raised with my kids what music I would have played at my funeral, one of them suggested at the very end of the mass we would have “Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead”. While this is a light-hearted touch, it is important that people discuss this subject.