Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to continue because a vote has been called in the Dáil. The staff working in these areas are highly trained professionals, doing remarkably similar or identical work to their section 38 counterparts, all of whom have had their pay restored under the Lansdowne Road agreement. All of these staff have long established and recognised contractual pay linkages with HSE consolidated pay scales. For the hospice sector to maintain these linkages additional funding has been given in the past from the HSE, when required. Will this additional funding requirement for the voluntary hospice group be addressed before the end of 2017? Has the necessary application been made by the HSE to the Department for additional funding within the 2018 HSE budget estimate process to deal with this issue?