Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This matter arises on foot of a reply I received on 17 October to a question in respect of section 38 and section 39 organisations which I submitted to the Joint Committee on Health and Children in September. I have in my possession the appendix to the 2012 annual report of the HSE, which indicates that some 2,680 organisations are receiving funding from the executive. The total amount of that funding is €3.27 billion, which is over 25% of the health budget. As already stated, I received a reply on 17 October last to a question I posed in September as to whether moneys additional to those set out in the guidelines laid down by the HSE were being paid. While I was supplied with a generic answer, people in the media seem to have been given many more details two weeks later. However, that is how the political system works and I must accept it.

I am now specifically concerned about the fact that salaries paid out by section 39 organisations do not have to correspond with the guidelines set out for HSE employees. It is in that context that I raise this matter. As already indicated, 2,680 organisations - hospitals, etc. - are receiving funding from the HSE. In view of the debate that has taken place in the past two weeks, will new procedures be put in place in respect of section 39 organisations to ensure both accountability and proper disbursement of the funding allocated? I fully accept that the HSE and the Department of Health are involved in work to revise the position in the area to which I refer. Will the Minister of State indicate where we go from here in respect of this matter?