Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Supreme Court decision on the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill has significant expenditure implications. The issue of repaying the money has been referred to a special Cabinet sub-committee comprising the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Attorney General and myself.

The Revised Estimates Volume, which I recently published, provides for a 13% increase in estimated health expenditure in 2005. Repayments will be made from the Health Service Executive Vote and, as made clear in the recent Revised Estimates Volume, a Supplementary Estimate will be brought forward for the costs arising in 2005 on foot of the recent Supreme Court decision. There will be no cutbacks in the Estimate for the health services this year or in other departmental Estimates to pay for this Supplementary Estimate.

Given the number of people involved and the complexity in calculating the repayments due, it is likely that the repayment of moneys will take time. Claims falling for payment after 2005 will be a charge on the Vote for subsequent years and the required funding will be accommodated within the overall spending plans for those years.

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