Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The law does not allow me to pay current costs because I have only capital funds under CLÁR. I face the same problems in my constituency as the Deputy faces in his area. I have beaten a path to the door of the HSE. It blows my mind how an organisation that has €15 billion a year to spend cannot find a million or two to provide essential basic services for people. I just do not understand it and I never will. While I realise one has to watch budgets, we are never stuck for €100,000 in my Department which only has a budget of half a billion euro. However, doctors differ and patients die, so let us talk about the money that is available. I provided €2.5 million for CLÁR capital projects for 2004-06. To date I have received bills for €1.363 million. That means I still have to get invoices for approximately €1 million. With another €2 million from the HSE that comes to €3 million which we sanctioned in 2004 for the 2004-06 period and we still have not got the work done. One of the projects refers to my own parish where the money was allocated in 2003, but has not been spent. That is very frustrating, with people saying they are short of money. Early in 2006, if not in 2005, we told the HSE we would go again because it takes so long to get these projects through. I met Professor Drumm, eventually, last November, and told him we had money on the table. I told him we were putting up a third of the cost of these capital projects and the HSE should put up two thirds, since they are health initiatives. We subsequently had meetings and it has now been agreed to put a 2007-09 programme in place, although a good part of 2007 has passed already. We have agreed to put €3 million in the kitty, with the HSE contributing €6 million, giving a total of €9 million.

I want to make it clear that I do not select the projects. If the HSE sends me a bundle of eligible projects totalling €9 million, which are in CLÁR areas and come under the top seeding as regards size of initiative so that we get a fair spread and deal with the more isolated areas, as indicated by the Deputy, there will be no delay in sanctioning them. However, I cannot sanction projects that do not come before me. I repeat that I find it hard to reconcile a shortage of funds with an inability to make application for the money that is on the table. The Deputy might be able to explain it as a doctor, but I cannot.

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