Bob Spink

UK Independence Party | Castle Point

Children's Palliative Care/Hospice Services

Bob Spink (Castle Point) (Con): What recent representations he has received on the funding of children’s palliative care and children’s hospices.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Ivan Lewis): The Department has received 22 representations on the funding of children’s palliative care and children’s hospices in the past six months.

Bob Spink: I know that the Under-Secretary will join me in paying the warmest possible tribute to those who work in and volunteer for children’s palliative care. I am grateful to the former Prime Minister for his personal help in getting the £27 million stop-gap funding and the review of funding for children’s hospices.

The Association for Children’s Palliative Care and the Association of Children’s Hospices want children’s palliative care services to be included in the national indicator for disabled children that is currently being developed as part of the public service agreements for the next comprehensive spending review. Will the Under-Secretary delight the House by saying today that he will consider that suggestion favourably? [Interruption.]   (The House shouts out ‘YES!’)

Mr. Lewis: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State says, I always delight the House. It is a good sign when the Secretary of State says that, but I am not sure whether any other hon. Members would agree. Although I might delight the House with such a commitment, it could be a seriously career-limiting announcement. Of course, decisions about PSAs will be made in the context of our comprehensive spending review settlement. However, the £27 million that we have made available, the independent review that we have commissioned and our commitment to publish a national strategy on palliative care for children, alongside the significant investment in supporting disabled children and their families, mean that the specific needs of palliative care for children will have a high priority in the period ahead.