Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work of the National Council on the Forum of End of Life in Ireland lead by a woman I admire much, Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness, and wish it well in its conference today. Most families want dignity and love for their loved ones when they are passing on. There is a fear when the word "hospice" is mentioned. However, they provide excellent care for the patient and their families. I had the privilege of my mam dying at home with the help of a palliative care team, as well as the unconditional love of my two brothers who lived with her, minding her to the end. For those who want to pass away at home, we should try our best to make it happen. In the case of my mother, we were glad she could be at home surrounded by family and friends but most of all helped by the palliative care team which brought us into a space where we had never been before and made us very comfortable.

I am surprised the report stated there are only 155 hospice beds available. In 2013, the Health Service Executive, HSE, plan stated 92% of all patients referred to a hospice should be admitted in one week. Given the shortage of hospice beds, how near are we to this target?

I have been to several cremations lately. It is like a conveyor belt with people put in one door and shoved out the other. There is no time for people to stay around and sympathise with the family. It seems to be a constant rush by undertakers to get people in and out on time so that someone else can pass through afterwards. This is wrong and needs to be looked at. What is the trend for cremations? Are they becoming more of an option across the country?

The Irish Association of Palliative Care terms palliative care as life-enabling. In what way does one work towards changing the perception of palliative care? When one hears someone is in palliative care, just like the word “hospice”, people automatically believe the person in such care will die. This does not necessarily happen and people can live for some time with the right care. How can we change that perception of this type of care?