Last December I stood in this House to plead on behalf of a family whose seven-year-old son, Danny, was terminally ill. They wanted to bring Danny home from hospital to spend his final days with them and his young brothers. This was also Danny’s wish, following prolonged hospital stays. Imagine the anguish and helplessness they felt when they learned that bringing their precious boy home was not possible, that their child’s last wish was being denied because paediatric palliative care services are not available in the south-east region where they live. There was a public outcry.

Meanwhile, there was frenzied activity within the HSE in the region. The spotlight was on it and there was no escaping its glare. It had to act. This ultimately resulted in a full palliative home care package being put in place for the family. This would not have happened for this distraught family had it not been raised in this House.

Danny did come home. He came home just a week before he left this world. At that time, I categorically stated that the trauma inflicted on this family could never be allowed to happen again. Just four months later, it has happened again. In fact, two families are reaching out for help at this time. One family has been forced to publicly highlight their plight in an effort to get paediatric palliative care for their four-year-old daughter. The mother of a terminally ill 11-year-old girl in Tipperary has contacted me regarding her fear that she will not be able to take care of her beautiful daughter in the familiarity of her own home. She is distraught at the prospect of not having her daughter at home for her final hours in the company of her family and friends.

Families have no alternative other than to broadcast their heartache in order to get the support they need. They are forced to spend precious time battling for a service they are entitled to receive. Families should not have to resort to politicians or the media at such a painful and difficult time. It is gut-wrenching to think that the health system allows such failure.

Absolutely nothing has changed in the south-east region with regard to paediatric palliative care. How has this situation been allowed to continue? Why is the south-east region, which comprises south Tipperary, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford, the only area of the country where paediatric palliative care does not exist? The region has an excellent palliative care service for adults, but the needs of terminally ill children and their families are completely overlooked. Something is seriously amiss in the region and it must be addressed.

I would like straight answers to the questions we have posed. Can the Taoiseach give a commitment on behalf of Government that the situation will be rectified for the people of south Tipperary and the south east? I ask him to outline a timeframe in which this will happen.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important and sensitive issue. In Ireland in the round, we have really good palliative care provided by some really top-class professionals. End-of-life care has improved considerably down the years, including our hospices, hospice home care and paediatric palliative care, particularly with the State funding of the LauraLynn hospice, which I was involved in trying to make happen when I was Minister for Health. It is really important that people should be allowed to die with dignity. It makes such a difference for them to be able to spend their last couple of weeks in a hospice or better still at home receiving the hospice care they need. It makes a huge difference to families. It provides enormous peace of mind both in terms of the experience when somebody passes on but also thereafter. This is particularly acute for the parents of children who are terminally ill. I cannot imagine what it is like to go through the experience of losing a child long before their time.

There is something wrong here. I am not sure what it is and I will take an interest in it. I have read about the case in Wexford; I think Fiadh is her name. It is wrong and very sad that anyone should feel that they have to go public or explain very private and personal circumstances regarding the death of a child in that way to get the package they should have got sooner.

I do not think the problem relates to political will by anyone in this House. I do not think the problem is with money because thankfully we are in a position where the Government has money and a budget surplus. The issue may relate to the inability to get staff. I really do not know what the problem is, but it is a problem and I acknowledge it. I am aware of another case that I am trying to deal with at the moment in the Wicklow area, so it may not be just in the south east. Certainly, the political will is there to fix it. I guarantee that the money is there. I will convene a meeting in the Department of the Taoiseach, involving the Minister for Health and HSE to get a proper overview of paediatric palliative care services, find out what the problem is and then we will fix it.

I thank the Taoiseach for his commitment and personal interest in the matter. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been very active on the issue. I do not know where the blockage is, but it appears to be between the consultants and the nursing profession. There is no joined-up thinking on this and it needs to happen. Families living in the south east have been without this service since 2017. I cannot be precise as to how many children and families have suffered as many have done so in silence.

Despite her personal grief, Danny’s mother, Lisa, has maintained her campaign to ensure that paediatric palliative care is available to everybody and that no one has the same experience as that family has had.

The Taoiseach mentioned the girl from Wexford and I am familiar with that case. I have also had contact from the mother of Róisín an 11-year-old girl in Tipperary town. They are in similar circumstances. This cannot be put on the long finger and needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

In a letter sent just one week ago, which I followed up on, Róisín's mother outlined her anxiety, fear and trepidation at the fact that something desperate could unfortunately happen shortly and she is not in a position to cope with it. I ask for that case to be dealt with urgently.

Regarding palliative care provision in south Tipperary and the south east, I am told there are two clinical nurse co-ordinators for children with life-limiting conditions in the south east. They support the provision of safe care in the home. They are working to ensure a care plan based on patient need is in place in each case. However, there is something amiss here. We need a sustainable long-term solution for the provision of paediatric palliative care services in south east. I am told that is under development and that a multi-agency approach will be adopted. As a Deputy has very correctly and articulately pointed out, some things may be able to wait, but this is not the kind of thing that can wait. I am keen to convene that meeting as soon as I can in the Department of the Taoiseach to find out what the problem really is and fix it as soon as we can.