Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy raised the fundamental question of how much we should spend on health. I went to the OECD to ask experts who had examined health expenditure across every OECD country what model we might consider using. There is no optimum model, however, and the pressures on accident and emergency departments in this State are replicated in Northern Ireland and the UK. The question of the appropriate amount of money to spend on health will be an ongoing challenge, particularly as expensive new drugs and treatments become available. As the Deputy is aware, people who are ill will demand such drugs and treatments. The capacity of the health system to absorb any amount of money is a real pressure and cause of debate in every state. We have to consider these issues in a balanced way. Some 70% of total hospital sector outlay goes on pay.

When there is pressure in terms of pay, do we engage with that or do we have more people? Can we look at pay rates internationally? Can we have a different skills mix delivering? We need to be innovative rather than simply replicating what we have done in the past to address an issue.

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