As Minister for Health, I am aware of the valuable work of the hospice movement in Ireland. I understand that the South Westmeath Hospice Committee aims to provide an appropriate and safe environment within which to deliver the best practice of care and promote dignity in the end stages of life for palliative care patients and their families.
As the matter raised by the Deputy in this instance relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.a