Vol. 399 No. 7
11 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the commitment he will give to the St. Francis Hospice project in Raheny, Dublin 5, with particular reference to the home care service; if a 50 per cent capitation grant for the new hospice will be made available; and if he will give details of the revenue for the hospice from 1992.
125 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health if he will make available to his Department the necessary resources to fund the St. Francis Hospice Project in Raheny, Dublin 5.
126 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he has considered the request from the St. Francis Hospice Project, Raheny, Dublin 5 for funding for (1) its homecare service, (2) its construction investment and (3) its ongoing revenue requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
130 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Health if financial resources will be made available to the new St. Francis Hospice, Raheny, Dublin 5 from 1992; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
131 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Health if he will make a 50 per cent capitation grant available to the new St. Francis Hospice Project, Raheny, Dublin 5, which is essential to cater for cancer patients living on the north side of Dublin city.
132 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Health if necessary funding will be made available to the new St. Francis Hospice, Raheny, Dublin 5 in order to ensure the proper funding of homecare facilities from January 1991.
133 Mr. McCartan asked the Minister for Health if he will outline his response to representations for funding from the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and the Hospice Foundation for aid to run the new hospice unit at the St. Francis Hospice Project, Raheny, Dublin 5; if he will provide (a) support for the homecare service from January 1991, (b) a 50 per cent capitation grant for the new unit and (c) capital revenue for the unit from 1992; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
134 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health when the necessary finance will be made available for the funding of the St. Francis Hospice project; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
135 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health following his meeting with the Daughters of Charity, Blackrock, regarding the St. Francis Hospice project, when the necessary funding for the project will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 125, 126, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135 together.
I recently met representatives of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul on this matter. Discussions between officials of my Department and the Eastern Health Board are taking place to consider possible arrangements for funding the project. As the Deputies will be aware, I approved a grant of £100,000 from the health allocation of the national lottery proceeds for this service last December. The question of providing further funding will be considered as sympathetically as possible in the context of the many competing demands for resources.
Is the Minister aware that, since the commencement of the home care service attached to St. Francis Hospice in February 1989, 259 patients have been cared for? Of these, 119 died peacefully having been very well cared for by the home care service. Will the Minister accept that a whole section of people living north of the Liffey are being denied hospice care because the Minister has not made the necessary arrangements to provide funding? Will he give us further information about his meeting with the Daughters of Chairty of St. Vincent de Paul in which they got the impression they had received a commitment from him for home care service from January 1991 and a 50 per cent capitation grant for the new hospital to be built? People in north Dublin are being discriminated against because of the lack of hospice care——
This is a long question.
Will the Minister say exactly how much money he is giving for other hospice services outside this area of Dublin?
I agree with everything the Deputy said about the merits and value of the hospice service provided in Dublin and indeed throughout the country. I see a need for a hospice centre in Dublin because it complements the home care service. I already pointed out to the Deputy that when the Sisters decided to build a hospice we allocated £100,000 from the national lottery. We have been in discussion with the Eastern Health Board and I understand that the Sisters will also consult them about the provision of a hospice centre on the north side of the city.
Bearing in mind the Minister's commitment to the development of this project, is he willing to give a commitment that there will be mainstream funding — as opposed to lottery funding — for this project? Will he also give an early commitment on the question of home care services because that is the initial phase?
In regard to the hospice, as I said, discussions are taking place between the Eastern Health Board and the Sisters. Deputies are probably aware that, at one stage, the health board thought they would locate the hospice in St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park. However, there is now general agreement that the hospice should be located further north in the city. As I promised the Sisters, we will keep the situation under review in regard to funding directly from the Exchequer. We will be sympathetic to them but it would be wrong of me to say, in the middle of the year, that I will provide funding when it is not available to me.
A final question from Deputy Owen.
In view of the Minister's answer to an earlier question, will he give the House a commitment that he will go to the Minister for Finance to seek some of the funding from the sale of tobacco products in view of the fact that many of the people requiring hospice care are suffering from the illnesses associated with the use of tobacco?
We are going back on a previous question. We disposed of that matter earlier.
The Minister should give a commitment and let those people die in peace.
