Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The matter will be examined and will be examined expeditiously. No one can disagree with the statement that we would all much prefer to see people who are terminally ill looked after in a hospice or their own home. That is much more preferable to them dying in a hospital ward, particularly in a shared room. If something can be done, we will do everything we can to do it. When it comes to the financial aspects, it is never a question of whether it is less expensive to have someone in community or primary care versus acute hospital care. As a rule, acute hospital care is always more expensive than community or primary care, but that does not mean that we should not get best value for the money we spend on community, hospice or primary care services. Nor is it about saving money. Money spent well in providing hospice, community and primary care allows us to treat more patients. There will, therefore, be no penny pinching. This is about enuring taxpayers' euro are spent as best as possible to treat and look after as many patients as possible.

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