John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I apologise for the fact that the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, cannot be here to respond to this question.

There is no doubt that when people are diagnosed with a terminal illness or when they are in the last stages of their treatment, it is so important that they receive the appropriate care in an appropriate setting. This is important not only for patients, but also for their families.

Last year, 2,655 people were treated in specialist inpatient palliative care units. Some 7,575 people received home-based specialist care. Some 729 people received intermediate palliative care and a further 1,865 received day care services.

I am aware of a recent newspaper article in which the Irish Hospice Foundation suggested that 133 patients were awaiting hospice care. The Department and the HSE work closely with the Irish Hospice Foundation to develop these services. Historically, there have been parts of the country where inpatient palliative care services are underdeveloped and other areas of the country where the services are well developed.

The aim of the Minister and the Government is to develop these services by prioritising areas in the country such as the Louth-Drogheda in the north-east, Laois-Offaly in the midlands and Waterford in the south-east for the capital development of specialist inpatient units, and other areas where the home-care service is underdeveloped, including Wicklow, Laois-Offaly and Longford-Westmeath.

Additional inpatient palliative care beds have been opened in the past few years in existing hospices, including six in Blackrock and an additional ten beds opened in Milford Hospice, Limerick, in 2006. The Department is also working with the HSE to open four beds in the Athlone hospice later this year.

The provision of appropriate end-of-life care has been, and continues to be, a priority for the Government.

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