Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 154: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if special unique difficulties of service withdrawal and surgical off-call status were taken into account in her Department's penalising of Monaghan General Hospital to the extent of €257,217 under the new casemix incentivisation scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2755/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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All the hospitals who participate in the national casemix programme are actively encouraged to make submission on issues of concern to them to the casemix technical group in my Department, who are responsible for reviewing cost and activity data for inclusion in the budget model.

Local management was invited to make a submission on the matter of its own unique local issues, which it did. Although this amounted to a very considerable amount, its submission was accepted in full by the casemix group. All costs relating to issues beyond local management control, including costs for services that cannot be fully utilised as a result of local difficulties, were fully compensated for.

The patient throughput at the hospital for the year under review, namely, 2004, which formed part of the recently released casemix adjustments, was actually higher than in the previous year, despite local difficulties. The resulting budget adjustment is a reflection of its real position vis-À-vis its peers, excluding costs for items beyond their control.