Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 4

Written Answers - St. Francis's Hospice, Dublin.

Seán Haughey

Question:

65 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health the amount of money which has been allocated to St. Francis's Hospice, Raheny, Dublin 5, for each year since 1987; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this hospice has to rely heavily on voluntary fund-raising functions and donations in order to maintain a satisfactory level of service; if so, his views in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20859/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): A home care service has been operating at St. Francis's Hospice, Raheny, since 1989. In the years 1989 to 1996 St. Francis's Hospice, Raheny, received lottery funding from my Department for the provision of home care-day care services as follows: 1989, £100,000; 1991, £60,000; 1992, £75,000; 1993, £75,000; 1994, £89,000; 1995, £75,000; 1996, £100,000.

In 1995 I provided revenue funding of £300,000 to St. Francis's Hospice to enable it to open the first phase of its purpose built in-patient palliative care facility. This year I provided an additional revenue allocation of £650,000 to cover the full year costs associated with operating phase 1 of the new in-patient facility. This funding is being channelled through the Eastern Health Board.

Fund raising has been an integral part of the health service in general and hospice services in particular. Fund raising not only supplements the State's investment in services but helps to forge links between health service providers and the community. The development of services at St. Francis's Hospice, Raheny, is an excellent example of the community and the State working together as a partnership to achieve a common goal.

I am committed to the further development of in-patient services at St. Francis's Hospice. The question of providing additional financial assistance to St. Francis's Hospice in 1997 in respect of commissioning phase 2 of the in-patient facility will be given sympathetic consideration in the context of my Department's Estimates negotiations for 1997.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Question:

66 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health when an application for the adoption of a Chinese baby by a couple (details supplied) in County Galway will be cleared by his Department. [20866/96]

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Currie)

Under the Adoption Act, 1991, the Adoption Board has statutory responsibility for approving Irish residents for intercountry adoptions. My Department has no function in the matter. I understand from the board that the couple concerned applied to it for a declaration of their suitability and eligibility to adopt a child abroad and that the board made such a declaration in their favour last June.

The board has agreed to transmit to the relevant adoption authorities in Beijing applications from Irish residents wishing to adopt children in the People's Republic of China. If the couple concerned wish the board to forward such an application on their behalf, I suggest they contact the board for information about the procedure involved and the documentation required by the Chinese adoption authorities.