Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise two related issues. The first concerns South Westmeath Hospice. Its current site at the St. Vincent's centre in Athlone is closed and the hospice is to be moved to a newly built nursing unit at Clonbrusk. The voluntary group which has raised more than €1 million to develop the current site was given assurances last October that the new building would mirror the old one. However, the HSE now plans to incorporate four hospice beds into the rest of the facility, contrary to the written agreement that was given a few years ago. This is utterly devastating to the hardworking committee. I ask for the Minister for Health and the head of the HSE to meet the voluntary committee immediately to alter these plans. The decision that has been taken is outrageous. It mirrors an issue in my county of Longford. Two years ago I and a number of my colleagues met the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, at St. Joseph's Care Centre along with members of Longford Hospice. We got agreement for a two-bed unit to be incorporated into a new building that was being developed there. Recently, I received a letter from the HSE in response to my following up the matter on behalf of Longford Hospice. The letter states that any commitment to increasing the number of palliative beds at the expense of a long-term bed would have to be accompanied by an appropriate budget allocation to compensate for the fair deal income reduction in order to maintain services for current and future residents. That is the response to a voluntary committee which raises funds of more than €100,000 a year to provide vital services. It is outrageous that we will put a price on providing palliative care for people to be close to their homes before they pass away. I would like the Minister and the head of the HSE to meet with both committees and reverse these decisions.