Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. The people concerned know what they are paying their own staff, whether by hour, week or year. The easiest way to manage the pay of home helps pay would be by hour, but we can work out what the figure of 1,000 hours comes to in weeks. The Department of Health is the biggest spending Department. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection also has a big budget, but this issue involves the expenditure a lot of money.

We asked for an update on cash collection from insurers and details of key delays. It is very interesting. We also asked about private patient charges in hospitals. This covers Laya Healthcare, VHI and Irish Life. If a private patient goes to an emergency department, the private health insurer reimburses the hospital. Now they are only paying from the date a form is signed, which could be a couple of days later. In 2016 the private health insurance companies paid €334 million, but in 2017 this figure dropped to €305 million. It dropped again in 2018 to €278 million. Perhaps the hospitals do not have their paperwork in order. They are stating a publicity campaign is being run by private health insurance companies to encourage people not to give details of their private health insurance policies because it is irrelevant in the emergency department whether somebody has private health insurance. The private health insurers are trying to reduce what they have to pay out.

The next item concerns an age analysis of the outstanding amounts owed by the HSE to patients. The issue of public private partnerships comes up again.

Deputy Cullinane asked for a note on the building works planned for the morgue at Waterford University Hospital. He will be able to see it in the correspondence received.

We asked for a breakdown of the number of women who had availed of the grant to assist them in their interaction with Professor Scally. That information is also available. We asked for the figure for the annual cost of CervicalCheck. The figure is available.

We asked for a breakdown of the figure for primary care reimbursement services. It is available.

There is a note on the investigation into the hospice at Harold's Cross. It states that the matter is with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions which is addressing some further queries with An Garda Síochána. No further information is available. We have been receiving correspondence directly on the issue and that is the position, as it stands. We will forward any response we receive.