Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to put on the record what a wonderful job palliative care teams do as I experienced with my late father and my mother at present. I also want to put on record what a wonderful job the hospices do. Ms Foley stated €73 million is spent on specialist palliative care but it is unplanned and uncoordinated. Will she elaborate on this? It is a service that is doing a fantastic job and I would not like to think there is waste there? She stated 26% of people die in their homes. If one has the support of a hospice home care, one is nearly twice as likely to die at home. Will she expand on that? There are 155 hospice beds but the HSE has stated there should be 450. What is happening to close that gap? Every person has the right to die in comfort and dignity.