Written answers
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Department of Health and Children
Departmental Reports
11:00 pm
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 241: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the list of all proposals in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure relating to her Department or to bodies or agencies under her remit which have been implemented to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13886/10]
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table:-
| Recommendations | Status |
| Vote 39 | |
| Reduce the size of the Department of Health & Children | The Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement and the recruitment and promotion moratorium has been applied to the Department. Number of staff (Whole Time Equivalents) in 2008 was 526.50 and in 2009 was 485.88, including an additional 24.17 WTEs who transferred into the Department during 2009. |
| Merge the Ombudsman for Children with the Office of the Ombudsman | Government decided not to implement this |
| Merge Health Research Board with single stream science funding | Initiative to streamline STI funding announced in Budget |
| Integrate the Health Insurance Authority into the Financial Regulator | Not implemented but no savings would acrue here as the Health Insurance Authority is funded by the industry |
| Restrict the National Treatment Purchase Fund | Not implemented |
| Remove the Exchequer element of agencies part funded by the National Lottery | Funding has been reduced by €199,000 in 2010 |
| Vote 40 | |
| Health sector efficiencies | HSE to achieve €106m in efficiencies in 2010 |
| Health sector staffing | HSE pay is being reduced by €100m in 2010 for reduced staffing |
| Eliminate all bonus payments to HSE staff | Bonus payments not provided for in 2010 |
| Revise income guidelines for medical cards | Not implemented |
| Increase threshold for Drugs Payments Scheme | Threshold increased |
| Introduce co-payment (€5) for GMS and LTI schemes | As announced in Budget intention is to introduce a €0.50c per item prescription charge |
| Tendering for GMS services | Reductions in drug costs agreed with the IPHA, together with other measures, expected to produce savings of €94m in a full year. |
| Increase hospital charges | Charges are not being increased this year but collection of charges is being improved |
| Increase charges for private beds in public hospitals | Charges are not being increased this year but collection of charges is being improved |
| Introduce mandatory protocols to use generic medicines | Legislation will be introduced on reference pricing |
| Efficiencies in non-emergency patient transport | HSE is to make savings of €4.3m in 2010 |
| Efficiencies in Disability and Mental Health administration | Overall €106m savings to be achieved on non-pay by HSE, including Disability and Mental Health providers, in 2010 |
| Increase percentage recoupment under Fair Deal | Not implemented |
| Introduce Means Test for Homecare Packages | Not implemented |
| Vote 41 | |
| Abolish the transitional provisions for the National Childcare Investment Programme | The allocation to the NCIP was reduced by €2.5m |
| Alter the means test by eliminating Band C | New arrangements to achieve savings will be introduced in September 2010. |
| Rationalise the administrative structures of the National Childcare Investment Programme | Not implemented pending introduction of new Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) scheme |
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