Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 235: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the extent to which she or her Department have input into the formation of health policy and strategy for the health services or if the Health Service Executive has autonomous status in this regard; if policy is initiated by her Department or the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16680/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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As Minister for Health & Children, I am politically accountable for developing and articulating Government policy on health and personal social services, and for the overall performance of the health service. My Department's mandate is to support me and the four Ministers of State by advising on policy development and implementation, evaluating the performance of existing policies and service delivery, preparing legislation, and working with other Government Departments, the social partners and international organisations.

The Health Act 2004 requires the Health Service Executive (HSE) to use the resources available to it in the most beneficial, efficient and effective manner, to improve, promote and protect the health and welfare of the public. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is responsible for setting and monitoring standards on safety and quality of health care services in the public sector. The legislation establishing the HSE and HIQA specifically requires them to have regard to the policies and objectives of the Government or any Minister of the Government to the extent that those policies and objectives may affect or relate to their functions.

My Department does not exist in a vacuum from the rest of the health services, the political system or society generally. My Department and I work on a continuous basis with the HSE, HIQA and other agencies throughout the health sector, to develop and implement policy and strategy in the health sector.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 236: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients treated by the health services in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16683/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Information on health and health service activity, including patient numbers, for the past decade has recently been published by my Department in the booklet, Health in Ireland, Key Trends, 2007. The following table summarises data from the booklet on patients treated in publicly funded acute hospitals for the ten year period 1997 to 2006 inclusive. Significant increases are evident and, in particular, for day case treatments which have more than doubled over the period. It should be noted that hospital data refers to total treatments (i.e. inpatient, day case and outpatient) rather than to individual patients.

The Key Trends report also includes information on a range of other health services including district and psychiatric hospitals, and community-based services such as mental health and intellectual disability day centres. Mental health day attendees increased by 84% between 1997 and 2005 while intellectual disability day attendees rose by 10.8% from 1997 to 2007 (most recent intellectual disability national database figures). For many community services, information on total patients treated is not routinely compiled. This is true, for example, of General Practitioner services. However, estimates put total numbers of GP visits at between 15 and 20 million per year. The results of a new health survey module carried out by the Central Statistics Office as part of the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) will become available in the coming weeks. This is a large scale survey which has a focus on service utilisation and is expected to provide comprehensive estimates of access to and use of services across community, primary and secondary care.