Results 3,921-3,940 of 12,424 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: No, it was not plucked out of the sky or anywhere else. There must have been targets. Someone looked at this and came up with a figure of €346 million, as opposed to €350 million, for example. Perhaps I am being cynical but maybe someone suggested a figure of €350 million and someone else decided to make it €346 million in order to seem more credible.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: Yes, but it has to have come from somewhere.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: No, I have not.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: On that point, the HSE appeared to put a bit of distance between itself and the Department on that decision. My memory of it is that the executive said it was given this target. Someone should have sat down with the HSE to determine if the target was realistic, which we know now was not the case, and how the HSE was going to reach it. Where was it going to find those savings? It is not...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: The demand is created by sick people.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: My question was whether the Minister of State thinks this is a responsible way to fund the health service. I would be surprised if the answer to that is "Yes". I do not think it is responsible to fund it this way and nor does the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: I am referring to funding it from corporation tax receipts and interest. Those sources of funding are not reliable

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: IFAC has said that the health overruns are being masked by unexpected increases in corporation tax revenue and interest.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: The budget overruns are being masked.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: It is also a question for the Department of Health.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: IFAC made a specific comment about the health budget and overruns, which is what we are here to discuss today. The council was very clear on the matter. I asked the Minister of State if he thinks that is a responsible way to fund the health service and he said that it is not being funded in that way. In actual fact, it is because the overrun is part of the spend now.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council differs with the Minister of State on that point.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: The IFAC specifically targeted the health service overruns. Trying to pretend that overruns are not part of the spend is nonsense. They are clearly part of the spend but they are being funded from an unreliable source. I asked the Minister of State whether he thought that was responsible. He may think it is responsible, but I do not agree with him.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: I apologise if I came across as cross-examining. I am trying to get a specific answer.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: Absolutely, Chairman.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: Yes. The Minister of State mentioned that he would provide me with some figures on agency spending. He mentioned the issue of conversion. When we had Mr. Stephen Mulvany from the HSE before the committee, we asked whether specific targets were set relating to the conversion of agency staff. It appeared this was not the case. I keep going back to the figure of €346 million in...

Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: We are here again for what is effectively an annual debate. It is a reminder of one of this that is wrong with our health system. The political differences across the House are most acute when we are debating issues such as private healthcare and private health insurance. The political differences between this Government and me are most visible when it comes to healthcare provision,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Funding (6 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: Some €346 million was targeted for savings in health in 2018. For a long time, I have been asking how that figure was reached, but I cannot get an answer. It is described as a targeted savings measure. It sounds as though a lot of work went into calculating the figure. However, I have asked very senior figures in the HSE, representatives of the Department of Health and a colleague...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Funding (6 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: I did not think anyone could confuse me even more; fair play to the Minister of State. What he is saying in his response is that the HSE, through its planning process, determined the need for savings. Therefore, it identified the need itself. The Minister of State will appreciate that is not exactly what the HSE said to me, but that is fine. It was stated the targets were not hit because...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Funding (6 Dec 2018)

Louise O'Reilly: Is he in a position to shed any light on it? I am a lover of detective novels when I get the time to read them. I think Miss Marple would struggle with this. Can the Minister of State identify the amount the Department will now put in to achieve the process that will evaluate how the Department did not achieve the savings? People might be interested in that.