Ms Siobh?n McArdle:

We do not wish to conflate assisted dying and palliative care. Palliative care is very much a part of the continuum or life course of healthcare for people at the end of life. If the Government made a decision to proceed with assisted dying, it would be at that point the Department would consider and research the questions raised on the impact on other parts of the health service, not least palliative care. However, at this point it would be too early to answer. We consider assisted dying and palliative care to be separate at this time.