Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I recall the flooding that happened at Letterkenny General Hospital. First of all, I agree with Deputy Mac Lochlainn about the heroic work by the staff at the hospital. They have worked in very difficult circumstances and deliver a very fine service to the people of the catchment area. I had the privilege of visiting Letterkenny General Hospital some time ago and seeing that work for myself.

The funding for and staffing at the hospital is a matter to be pursued with the HSE. The Government is committed to maintaining the maximum amount of health funding possible in profoundly difficult economic circumstances, as we all know. This year, the HSE will have over €13 billion euro available to spend. The amount that is available to the health service this year is greater than that budgeted at the start of last year. The Government has met supplementary requests from the HSE to meet its requirements each year so far in the context of the overall management of the public finances. The Revised Estimates have now been published and it is the responsibility of every Department and agency to live within the allocation. In the context of the Revised Estimates, we were able to find an extra €47 million to give the health service - extra money to manage the delivery of health services.

The issue raised by Deputy Mac Lochlainn relating to staffing must be dealt with in the context of the Haddington Road agreement. There are procedures provided for in the agreement that address the issue of staffing and the requirements of individual hospitals. That is something that must be worked out between the hospital and the HSE within the framework that was agreed in the Haddington Road agreement.

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