Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am running out of time. The IFAC's breakdown of stand-still costs is very clear in relation to health costs. It is very clear that the SPU forecast for spending in 2024 underestimates spending and looks unrealistic. It says that after four months of the year, the gross voted expenditure is already overrun by €500 million. It also says that this is expected because the inappropriate budgeting all but guaranteed overruns in 2024. The breakdown says that there is a bizarre situation in which the pay bill in health is expected to fall in 2024, despite expected increases in staffing and the improved public sector pay deal. It goes on to say that it is due to poor budgeting from the Government. We have had warnings from the CEO of the HSE, which said that the budget agreed by the Government would lead to grave consequences.

I know in preparation for this that there is a lot of toing and froing. This is serious. In my time on this committee, I do not think we have ever had such strong language used in relation to the health budget. This is very much calling out fiscal gimmickry, as the witness termed it. Has the Department given any comfort as to why it produced a budget of this nature, which will result in the types of overruns mentioned, that is inappropriate and that underestimates the spending and looks unrealistic? Do the witnesses have any indication of what the so-called overruns or under-provisions are likely to look like before the end of the year?