Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In politics there are some promises that really must be kept. One of these is the promise of the Taoiseach to the late Mr. John Cunningham, former editor of the Connacht Tribune, when he said the shortfall in funding for the Galway Hospice Foundation would be addressed and there would be support for expansion. The commitment was given by the Taoiseach to the late Mr. Cunningham before his death in November 2011, and it was renewed by the Taoiseach some months later when he said:

In due course you can take it that John Cunningham's words meant a lot to me that night when I was out there (visiting John at the hospice) with Deputy Brian Walsh. I tend not to forget things like that. If you like, in a personal sense, to me, it was his last request and it is one that I would like to see we can stand over.

It is appropriate that I put that on the record because it is a matter of great concern to the Galway Hospice Foundation, the Cunningham family and others in Galway that there still has not been movement on this important and sensitive commitment. It is important that there would not be a cut in funding, as is feared, for Galway hospice this year. There is talk of a cut of between 1.6% and 5% but that must not happen. Galway hospice does a great deal of work. It has never received capital funding and it is being forced to draw on its own reserves. It does considerable funding of its own to cover its home-care services. Funding from the HSE, which amounts to 70% of it funding, covers its inpatient services. The hospice hopes to expand and it must be allowed to do that and not have to cut back. We should remember that hospice care saves the State a great deal in what it would otherwise have to spend caring for people in hospitals. I have no doubt that the Taoiseach was sincere when he made that commitment but it is important that he or his office would communicate with the Cunningham family and the hospice and that the Government's will would be made known to the HSE, through the Department of Health, in this instance because it is important that some promises be kept.

I am conscious of the time and I will postpone until tomorrow the other comment I was going to make.