Written answers

Wednesday, 12 March 2008

Department of Health and Children

National Service Plan

9:00 pm

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the extent to which output targets (details supplied) for 2007 were delivered. [11005/08]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Under Section 31 of the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive must prepare and submit its National Service Plan (NSP) for the coming year to the Minister for approval. The NSP must, amongst other things, indicate the type and volume of health and personal services to be provided by the Executive for the resources provided in its Vote. The National Service Plan is focused on providing quantifiable measurement data for the planned service outputs anticipated in respect of the inputs/resources being used. The NSP is regularly monitored through a series of monthly and quarterly Performance Monitoring Reports submitted by the HSE and which are examined by the Department.

The HSE National Service Plan 2008 was approved by the Minister on 10 December 2007 and subsequently laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on 20 December, 2007. The NSP 2008 is also available on the HSE website (www.hse.ie) and contains provisional data (as of November 2007) on the outputs achieved during 2007. In addition to the NSP, the Department is also required to produce an Annual Output Statement which is a document which matches outputs and strategic impacts to financial and staffing resources for the financial year in relation to Votes 39, 40 and 41. This statement also reports on the finalised outputs achieved for 2007. The Annual Output Statement will be examined by the Select Committee on Health and Children as part of its consideration of the Estimates of the Health Group of Votes.

Under the National Childcare Investment Programme and the previous Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, some 9,000 additional child care places were approved in 2007. Approximately 2,250 Mental Health Tribunal hearings were held during 2007. The further detailed information requested by the Deputy is a matter solely for the HSE as a corporate body. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to respond directly to the Deputy.

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