Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and those in the Gallery. I received the questionnaire on death, dying and bereavement, and shuddered and stayed away from it for a while. Given the tenacity of Senator O'Donnell, I managed to fill it in. I am delighted that the report has been presented to the Seanad. I wish to continue the poetic sense which is probably right for the end of life. In his insightful book, A Grief Observed, CS Lewis wrote, "My temple was but a house of cards".

As Sinn Féin spokesperson on health and well-being and social protection, this research makes very interesting reading from many different perspectives. Much of our energies, legislation and debate in the Seanad and Dáil Chambers involve the act of living with dignity and quality of life. This report examines the act of dying with dignity and equality.

It is an in-depth piece of research. A lot of time and resources have gone into it and I offer a special thanks to all of the groups in the Gallery which have contributed their time and energy to it. The second recommendation in the report is to conduct a national dialogue on end-of-life issues. It is fair to say Senator O'Donnell has begun the process very well.

The former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, was specifically thanked for his support of the work. I question the legitimacy of that endorsement, given the track record of the Government in terms of the cuts and austerity measures which targeted the most vulnerable. Austerity dismissed aging as burdensome and not valued, and treated it with disrespect.

Will the 86 key recommendations in the report to be taken seriously by the new Taoiseach and the Minister of State? This report and all of its recommendations within it cannot end up on a shelf gathering dust.

There is much to say about the report, but I have some point of note from my particular portfolios, namely, end of life issues and social protection. Recommendation 9 of the report is to reinstate the bereavement grant.In 2014, the bereavement grant was cut and it was possibly one of the most heartless austerity measures carried out by Fine Gael. The cost of funerals is enormous, not just financially but emotionally, and the grant was only an aid, yet it was taken away from the most vulnerable. The research in the chapter on social protection details funeral poverty, a concept which should never be allowed to exist. Perhaps the Government thought this cut fair to taxpayers, which is exactly and unfortunately how Theresa May has defended the cut of the bereavement grant in the UK this year. She is learning tips from our Government. Last year, Sinn Féin’s alternative budget included a €600 bereavement grant as a first step to re-introducing it. It is a relatively low cost to society but goes a long way towards looking after those suffering the aftermath of a loss and attempting to grapple with huge distress, grief and the challenges of life becoming so changed and different.

Health care is also my portfolio and I am well aware that the Joint Committee on Health is drawing up its own report on this area. Recommendation 8 is to support people to live and die in their

As a nurse, my task was mostly to fight to preserve life but, at times, I have held the hands of the dying in the darkness of the night when no relative was available or to be found. Frightened people often know that they are dying. It was a privilege to be there and to hold their hands. There was a beauty about it as well before the sun rose. We had small tasks, one of which I remember well. I do not know if it is done today. When someone died, we would open the window to allow his or her spirit roam free. There was a sense of being there for someone and watching his or her spirit leave, and we hoped that we offered them something if they were alone and did not have family around.

I see many similarities between the recommendations here and what Sinn Féin and I would push for. We would hold Government Departments accountable for the findings. This document should not be another dust collector on the shelf, particularly because of the expert input from the NGO sector, the public and all carers. Let us not allow this wonderful and respectful report go to waste. Let us do as we mean to and let us care enough and let us be reactive to the needs that this document addresses.

Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Seanadóir Marie Louise O'Donnell. Well done to her. Let us progress the report.