Mr. John Kinnane:

As part of the budgetary negotiations, the overall allocation was agreed by the Government for the Department of Health. The allocation of funding to particular funding lines within the health area is a matter for the Minister for Health. The overall allocation, €22.5 billion, was agreed by the Government, and that reflects the requirements for ELS and a range of new measures. The major significant change in the overall budgetary parameters that was made when we considered budget 2024 by comparison with the summer economic statement entailed the increase in the level of non-core funding.

An additional €500 million was provided in non-core funding to allow the Department of Health and the health service to deal with the additional pressures arising as a legacy of the pandemic. The Minister for Health and the Department of Health will have made the decisions on funding for the funding lines within the overall allocation of €22.5 billion.