§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution her Department makes to the Francis House children's hospice; how many children from Liverpool were cared for by the hospice during the past 12 months; what other provision of children's hospices is available in the north-west; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. YeoThe Department is not contributing to the funding of Francis House. Sixteen children from the Mersey region have been cared for at the hospice, which at present is the only children's hospice serving the north-west.
Children's hospices are eligible to apply for funding from the top-sliced allocation of £32.3 million for specialised palliative care for the terminally ill, although it will be for health authorities to decide the allocation of these funds in accordance with local priorities.