John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy may laugh and sneer, but I am just presenting the facts. For those who are genuinely concerned about this, funding is ring-fenced and has been committed already. I will not go into the detail for the record, but it is important to look at the yearly funding from 2004 to 2008. Nobody should suggest that we are trying to park the huge demand for funding. The additional funding has doubled each year from €1.2 million in 2004 to an extra €3 million in 2008. I can also show the levels of funding by way of commitments to hospice funding. The monthly average number of people receiving palliative care treatment for the past year was 286, which is again an increase. Therefore, I cannot accept the Deputy's claims. An average of 133 people received immediate palliative care, and a further 291 received day-care services. Funding has been increased, funding is ring-fenced, and I do not buy for a second the claim that people are queuing to die.

See this speech in context