Jim Shannon

I thank the hon. Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne) for setting the scene. It is nice see him in his place; he used to be in opposition, and now he is in government. He has been elevated, so well done. I was saddened to hear about Zoe’s Place in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency having to become a stand-alone charity to encourage investment. There are many children who rely on these services, so it is never nice to hear the sort of news which he has presented today. Our hospices are pivotal within their local communities, so it is great to be here to discuss how to support them further. It is also a pleasure to see the Minister and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson), and I look forward to their contributions. About a fortnight ago I attended a pop-up hospice charity shop here in Parliament. It was helpful to discuss the funding crisis facing our hospices with other Members and representatives. I also signed an open letter to the Minister of State for Care, and I look forward to hearing his responses in relation to these issues. Over the years, I have supported the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, which holds three or four charitable events in my constituency of Strangford every year. People are very generous and incredibly kind. The money that John and Anne Calvert help to raise through those charity events is something we all appreciate. To give some background on the situation in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice is instrumental in providing endless amounts of support for people and is incredibly helpful. Horizon House in Newtownabbey is a seven-bed in-patient centre that aids the local community, including through sibling and bereavement support. It goes beyond what would normally be expected, providing community care alongside hospice at-home and palliative care for 350 babies across Northern Ireland, which is really important. In February this year, the hospice had to reduce its bed capacity to six due to a reduction in Government funding, with the intention of running six beds from Monday to Friday, and three beds on Saturday and Sunday—a drastic change from the seven beds, seven nights model. Incredibly active fundraisers added a huge £14 million to the four hospice care facilities back home.