Vol. 469 No. 2
14 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Health whether additional funding will be made available to the Galway Hospice further to the £100,000 already allocated which would only keep the hospice open for a short while; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16371/96]
Limerick East): The Deputy may recall that I recently asked the Galway Hospice Foundation and the Western Health Board to enter into discussions on mutually acceptable uses for the in-patient facility in the purpose built hospice building. To this end, I allocated a sum of £100,000 to the board to enable negotiations to proceed on a substantive basis.
Following on from these negotiations, I have been informed by the Western Health Board that the Galway Hospice Foundation is prepared to open this in-patient facility on 1 December 1996, subject to confirmation from the board regarding ongoing funding.
In this regard, I must remind the Deputy that the issue of the required level of funding for the hospice is a matter in the first instance for discussion between the foundation and the health board; and then, if appropriate, between the health board and my Department.
The Galway Hospice Foundation has stated that it is willing to provide services in the wider palliative care area. This statement represents a positive step towards the integration of this fine in-patient facility with the Western Health Board's policy for palliative/ hospice care in the region and I look forward to an early outcome of the ongoing discussions.
