Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you ladies. It is lovely to see an all-female panel this morning and I welcome all of the witnesses. I must say, because it is not said enough, that the strength of character that it takes to work in the environment in which they work is exceptional. My heart goes out to them because I absolutely know that I could not do it. We were privileged to visit Sunshine House a year and a half ago. It is a fabulous and fantastic facility but I spent more time outside crying than I did inside. Hats off to everyone here and congratulations.

Is there interaction between all the organisations present, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, HSE? If so, how is it managed and who is responsible? Dr. Maeve O’Reilly pointed out that 20% of children who die in this country die in hospitals versus 50% of the adult population. How is it influenced by the hospice organisations?

It is an absolute disgrace that LauraLynn gets zero from the State while Jack and Jill gets a lousy 18% of its funding from the State. I assume the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network gets nothing either. Crumlin, while receiving Exchequer funding, is also financed through significant voluntary contributions. What is the position on the discussions on funding between these organisations, the HSE and the Department of Health?