Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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At a number of different times in the process relating to the health budget, the Minister for Health and his departmental officials made the case for more funding, but that is a regular feature of the budgetary process. Every Minister that I engage with makes the case for more funding for the services for which he or she is responsible. If we look at the level of funding the Department of Health receives – I know it needs every cent of it, and that it continues to be under pressure in managing the demands for the public services it is responsible for – it stands at €22.4 billion for 2023. If we look at the rate of increase in that funding, it is an increase of €7.4 billion since 2019. I would make the case that there has been a very substantial increase in the level of funding made available to the Department of Health. The Minister for Health and the Department of Health do their jobs, as every Minister does, in making the case for more. In the budgetary process, we have to try to reconcile those demands with the money that the Government has available to spend.