Written answers
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Department of Health
Care Services
Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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642. To ask the Minister for Health if a business case has been presented to her department from a hospice (details supplied) for the redesignation to section 38 hospice; the communication she has had with the hospice since her appointment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53402/25]
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I would like to acknowledge the valuable work of Laura Lynn in the area of children’s palliative care. Laura Lynn play a significant role in the overall delivery of children’s palliative care services nationally.
Laura Lynn receives core funding from the Health Service Executive under a Section 39 Service Agreement. Recurring core statutory funding for Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice was allocated for the first time in Budget 2021. In 2022, an additional €800,000 was provided in once off funding. In 2023, €800,000 was provided in additional recurrent funding to Laura Lynn increasing their base funding to €2.3 million per year. In 2025, state funding increased further to €3.3 million, representing over 30% of Laura Lynn’s total operating costs.
This funding has been used to provide a sustainable financial base to the organisation. It has also increased Laura Lynn’s ‘Hospice in the Home’ service across Leinster, Munster and Connacht.
Departmental officials engage regularly with Laura Lynn and I can confirm that the Department of Health has not received a formal business case proposal from Laura Lynn for redesignation to section 38.
Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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643. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to increase funding for hospice care for children and the introduction of new national policy on children’s palliative care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53403/25]
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to enhancing children's palliative care services to provide the best end of life and bereavement support for children, families and carers.
There have been significant achievements in children’s palliative care in recent years.
- Increased resources have been allocated to the development of the Children’s Health Ireland Specialist Palliative Care Team. There are 4 consultant paediatricians in palliative medicine posts, a specialist registrar, and 4 Clinical Nurse Coordinators.
- 19 Clinical Nurse Coordinators have been put in place nationally.
- The provision of respite care for children with the establishment of the Laura Lynn ‘hospice in the home’ service.
- Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice in receipt of recurring statutory funding since 2021.
The Department of Health is currently commissioning an ‘Evaluation of the 2009 National Policy on Children’s Palliative Care.’ The evaluation will review and assess the implementation of the 2009 children’s palliative care policy and identify the areas of progress along with any gaps which may need to be considered in future policy development.
Both the Department of Health and the HSE are also project sponsors of work currently underway in Trinity College Dublin titled ‘Enhancing Children’s Palliative Care in Ireland’. Findings from both these studies will inform evidenced based policy decisions in the development of the national children’s palliative care policy and assist with national service planning.
The total national palliative care budget for this year was over €184 million – a 15% increase on 2024 and a 50% increase on 2020. As part of the Programme for Government, we will continue to invest in children’s palliative care and develop a new evidence-based national policy on palliative care for children.
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