Shane Ross (Independent)

I congratulate Senators Mullen and Quinn on tabling this motion. It is very difficult to tackle taboos of this sort in the political environment and it is in the tradition of this House to do so. One of the more notable aspects of this debate is the great agreement we have had during the debate from people on the opposite side of the House, which makes it ironic and a great pity that the Senators on the Government side have tabled an amendment. There has been very little disagreement in what has been said and it appears the aspirations in this motion will not be agreed and implemented by the Government for reasons that are obscure, to say the least. I hope the persuasive arguments made on this side will induce the Government to take the measures necessary.

One of the more notable aspects of this argument is that made by the Irish Hospice Foundation, which has briefed Members on this issue. Much could be done without great cost to improve hospice care. The foundation's convincing briefing document states that the reallocation of hospice care could be done at very little cost but the HSE has not taken this on board. Last year there was a proposal for a large amount of expenditure and expansion in this area and it was turned down by the HSE because it said it had no more money. If no more money is necessary, presumably the HSE will look carefully at the submission by the Irish Hospice Foundation which says this can be done through the reallocation of resources and by putting more emphasis on people receiving hospice care at home rather than in hospital, which is more expensive.

In that respect, I was delighted to hear today that the hospice foundation in Wicklow, where I live, received a donation of €1 million towards a hospice in the county. That will contribute towards the target of €3 million for the fund which was set up one year ago. The people of Wicklow have raised approximately €250,000, which when added to the €1 million means they are nearly half way there. On top of that the Columban Sisters have given a site for a hospice. That is the type of voluntary work which is terribly important. The State and the HSE should acknowledge that when that sort of funding is raised by at least matching the contribution. I would welcome a response to that point today to what is only a one year old effort.

An interesting statistic has been produced by those who advocate more hospice care. They say the mid-west region has received preferential treatment for reasons which are difficult to ascertain. The statistics indicate that 70% of those who die of cancer, for instance, in Limerick die in hospices whereas in Wicklow 70% of those who die of cancer die in hospitals. I am not trying to make a regional argument. What I am saying is that if there is a reallocation of resources and if it is revenue neutral or expenditure neutral, that should be done. It should be our aim and aspiration that those who would otherwise die in hospitals should be moved and be allowed to die at home or in a hospice. That is a very simple message which has been coming through all the time from the Irish Hospice Foundation. What is necessary is for the HSE to set up a reconfiguration team to respond to the Irish Hospice Foundation's submissions and agree to do so at no cost. The HSE is set in its ways on this issue, as it is on many other issues. The resources are not being allocated on the basis of objective need. They are being allocated on another basis which is inefficient and unfair.

If we are serious about tackling the problem which Senator Mullen has so eloquently addressed, we should listen to the people who are advocating locally rather than those bureaucrats who can see where money is going but are unwilling to take themselves out of a straitjacket. We are talking about something which we rarely talk about, namely, the deep emotional needs of human beings. We are very keen and prone to talk about facts, figures and accounts in a forensic way. That is the nature of the HSE beast, but this is a deeply difficult subject to discuss. It is a deeply emotional subject for the individuals involved and it is one which people are reluctant to discuss. I have been struck by the fact that, unusually in this House, several Senators have spoken of their personal experiences of the deaths of people who were very close to them, of their needs and the good and bad things that happened. The message is that we should listen to the feelings of the people involved rather than the figures. If the HSE were to send in a reconfiguration team, which would mean a reallocation of resources, to try to meet the emotional needs of people in this sphere, the problem would be tackled.

I congratulate the proposers of the motion, in particular Senators Mullen and Quinn, on bringing the subject to the House because it is an unusual and difficult subject to tackle. Although the contributions of Senators Corrigan and Walsh were heartfelt and useful, it is a pity the Government side is taking the attitude that the motion needs amendment because it is one that could have been agreed in a non-political context.