Seanad debates

Thursday, 27 June 2013

11:10 am

Photo of Mary MoranMary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I concur with Senator Ó Domhnaill and other speakers throughout the week. Every day the tapes have revealed more and it is vital that this be addressed urgently. The perpetrators need to be brought to justice immediately. Those people addressed a serious situation jokingly but there are crises in many areas. All week I have spoken about the issue of special needs. Last night I spoke people who are not involved in special needs but are under threat of losing their homes and in serious financial difficulties, and yet have to sit and listen to the recordings being drip fed from the media every day.

Yesterday the Irish Hospice Foundation reported on the dreadful lack of hospice beds. Owing to regional inequality in the resource allocation an estimated 2,500 patients are denied access to hospice services every year, which is appalling. It reported that we need 450 hospice beds while only 155 are available. Many areas have no access to hospice beds including my county, Louth, as well as counties in the midlands and the south east. I call for a debate on the area in order to address the situation immediately.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.