Results 3,081-3,100 of 35,549 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: The HSE has said that number is €1.5 billion. There are questions as to whether the Department will underfund the deficit. Does Mr. Moloney accept the HSE has made it clear that two thirds of that is recurring and that the drivers of this are demand and inflation. Does Mr. Moloney accept that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: That is just crazy stuff. We have just dealt with the budget for next year and Mr. Moloney is saying that he has not discussed with the Minister in Health how much of the deficit this year will be recurring for next year. That is the whole problem. The whole problem is that there is about €1.5 billion of a deficit and the HSE is telling us the drivers behind this is inflation and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I understand that the Department has its point of view but from my point of view the health services are seriously underfunded. The Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Robert Watt, has made it clear that two-thirds of the drivers of the deficit this year are inflation and demand and that they are not going away. The CEO...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Would it be fair to say that health inflation is running at 17%?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Parts of health inflation are not at that level?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: If we take out the non-pay element of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Bernard Gloster and Robert Watt both told the Joint Committee on Health that 17% was the figure for health inflation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: There is a deficit of €1.5 billion, or maybe it will be €1 billion. We will see when the figures are announced next week because the Department will not tell the committee that oversees it. I understand that the Cabinet may have to agree and all of that. Is the Department expecting that to just disappear? Let us say it is €1 billion; it might be less and it might be a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Non-core means one-off. Does it not? It means it will disappear at some stage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: The question I put to Mr. Moloney is how much of the overspend this year is recurring or is the view within the Department and the Minister's thought process that none of this is recurring? That is the only logic to what was presented on budget day because not a penny of the deficit has been provided for in the base. Inflation is running at the levels it is, demand is going up and there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: -----of pay in ELS.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I find this baffling. We are putting one-off expenditure of €432 million in there so that we have a bit of extra time. That does not even come close. By the way, that plus ELS is still half of what the Department and the HSE were looking for to stand still. Let us make that point first. The second argument is that we need this because the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, needs more time...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: It is in the ESRI report.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Road Safety (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: 178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to clarify that in the event of an accident on a road outside a school (details supplied), who will take responsibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49264/23]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: 305. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made for a carer’s benefit review (details supplied); the current processing times for such reviews; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49839/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: The full effect of the pay agreement this year will be felt next year. Is that not right? There were two pay agreements and increases, one in the spring and one in the autumn. That will factor into ELS so there is a portion-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: I want to briefly raise a couple of issues. Earlier on when I was questioning the level of the shortfall this year, Mr. Moloney said that the HSE or the Department are talking in accrual and cash terms. Let us park the jargon. The numbers are well established in the media, while the Department may not accept them at the minute. The HSE is very clear that the overrun this year is in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Therefore, a Supplementary Estimate for this year would be in the region of €1.1 billion in that case. Is that what we are looking at?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Budget 2024 Expenditure Ceiling and Resource Allocation for the Department of Health and HSE: Discussion (14 Nov 2023)

Pearse Doherty: Okay, but it is in that ballpark. Would it be fair to say that it is in that ballpark?