Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 273: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the failure of the Health Service Executive to spend funds announced by her in 2006 and 2007 for palliative care and A Vision for Change on those areas, was approved by her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21207/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Health Service Executive must live within its overall allocation from the Oireachtas each year. Under the Programme for Government, the Government has committed to removing the regional disparities in the provision and funding of palliative care, and to ensuring that the needs of all those who require palliative care are met. The Department of Health and Children is committed to working with the HSE and other key stakeholders in developing palliative care services throughout Ireland.

Funding is being provided for the development of palliative care services in line with the recommendations in the Report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care (2001) and in the context of available resources and workforce planning across the health service. Additional funding totalling €18 million was provided by the Government in Budgets 2006 and 2007. Not all of this funding was used as planned because of competing expenditure pressures and the overriding obligation on the HSE to live within its approved overall allocation. Funding was primarily in respect of 138 additional whole-time equivalent (WTE) posts to support a range of new service developments nationally. I understand that approx 40% of these posts have been filled to date.

The Executive is developing a five-year capital and revenue implementation framework, in consultation with the Irish Association for Palliative Care, the Irish Hospice Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society. Work is ongoing on the development of this plan and good progress has been made to-date. The question of progressing outstanding service developments not yet implemented is being considered by the Executive in this context.

In relation to the additional €51.2 million development funding provided in 2006 and 2007 for the implementation of A Vision for Change, the Department has been advised by the HSE that this was not used as planned because of competing expenditure pressures and the overriding obligation on the HSE to live within its approved overall allocation. As a result, some of the planned developments in mental health services have been delayed. However, some of these developments will proceed in 2008, for example the recruitment of 8 child and adolescent mental health teams and the provision of 18 beds for children and adolescents.