Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1126. To ask the Minister for Health if he has met with officials from the HSE to discuss the way in which hospices are funded; if not, his plans to do so in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26958/17]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister and officials regularly meet with the HSE's National Lead for Palliative Care. The Department of Health has also engaged with the HSE in the development of the HSE's Palliative Care Services Three Year Development Framework (2017-2019)which will be published during the summer. The Framework details the development of seven new hospices over the period 2017 - 2021. The first one of these will open in Kerry at the end of this year. Kerry Hospice Foundation has agreed to provide 12.5% of the revenue requirement for the first five years, and after this period core services (pay and non-pay) will be 100% funded through the HSE.

The revenue for each new hospice will be agreed in the year prior to opening so as to include the requirement in the Estimates process. It is planned to cover core costs for each service. The ongoing contribution of local hospice fundraising groups is very much acknowledged and in many instances the groups have agreed to provide funding for ancillary services such as complementary therapies, art, volunteer co-ordinators, social activities and events, etc. They may also provide funding for specialised furniture or pieces of equipment.

The Framework recognises that existing specialist palliative care services are reliant to varying degrees on voluntary fundraising to subsidise core services. One of the Framework recommendations is the establishment of a short-life working group which will have the single aim of defining what constitutes core costs for all specialist palliative care services. This is with a view to ensuring that existing services will have these costs met on a phased basis through the Estimates / service planning processes. The working group is due to be established by the autumn.

The Department of Health has welcomed the Framework as a good basis for the development of palliative care services, though the implementation of the framework will be subject to the overall budgetary process and the configuration and availability of resources.