Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

In a statement yesterday the director of the Institute of Public Health said almost 6,000 people died each year from poverty. She also pointed out that there was no point in having an anti-poverty strategy and a national health strategy if the Government was not prepared to put money into them. The Combat Poverty Agency has also called for the introduction of medical cards to all those who need them in an attempt to address the problems vulnerable people face in terms of poor health.

According to a report in one of today's newspapers, the Irish Hospice Foundation, referring to the blueprint on palliative care services published in 2001, which identified funds needed to improve services for the terminally ill, has pointed out that only one fifth of the recommended level of funding has been provided. The Minister should attend the House to debate what has been done by the Government to address the link between poverty and ill health and death and ensure the most vulnerable in our society are properly looked after by the health service.