Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 581: To ask the Minister for Health if he will quantify the Health Service Executive west's current budget deficit; if he will quantify the portion of that budget deficit that relates to each of University College Hospital Galway, Merlin Park Hospital, Galway, Roscommon County Hospital, and Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, Galway. [35538/11]

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Health if he will identify the operation and service areas within the Health Service Executive west in which there have been overspends in the context of the HSE west's total budget deficit. [35539/11]

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 583: To ask the Minister for Health if he will identify the amount of money that has been overspent in the operation and service areas outlined in the context of the Health Service Executive west's total budget deficit. [35540/11]

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 584: To ask the Minister for Health if he will identify the amount of money overspent in the operational and service areas outlined which relate to University College Hospital Galway and Merlin Park Hospital, Galway, in the context of the Health Service Executive west's total budget deficit. [35541/11]

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 585: To ask the Minister for Health if he will identify the amount of money overspent in the operation and services areas outlined which relate to Roscommon County Hospital in the context of the Health Service Executive west's total budget deficit. [35542/11]

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 586: To ask the Minister for Health if he will identify the amount of money overspent in the operational and service areas outlined which relate to Portiuncula Hospital, Galway, in the context of the Health Service Executive west's total budget deficit. [35543/11]

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 587: To ask the Minister for Health if he will specify the Health Service Executive west's cost saving proposals in the context of the Health Service Executive west's total budget deficit. [35544/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 581 to 587, inclusive, together.

The budget position at 30th September for the hospitals specified by the Deputy is set out in the table.

All hospitals are required to operate within their allocated budgets and to meet the service level activity targets that the hospital has agreed for 2011. I recognise that the management of funding allocations by public hospitals poses a serious budgetary challenge. It is clear that if existing spending trends remain unchecked there will be a significant overrun at the end of this year. I have made it clear that such an overrun is not acceptable given the state of the public finances and this country's obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding with the IMF and EU.

I am on record as saying that every individual agency must take responsibility and do everything possible to stay within budget while delivering their planned level of service. Under its reform programme the Government has committed to achieving greater efficiencies in patient care and service delivery. These efficiencies will not be easy to achieve but I am certain that over time they will help to ensure that more people get access to services within a given quantum of funding. In this regard it is important that the management capacity in our public hospitals is sufficiently robust to meet these challenges.

The HSE has implemented a wide range of cost containment measures across all hospitals and Local Health Offices nationally. The HSE has advised me that these measures in the West have delivered cost savings to date in the following areas:

(a) pay savings amounting to €22.2m comprising

§ a reduction of 780 WTEs due to the moratorium and exit Schemes,

§ reductions in overtime across all grades including the elimination of unrostered overtime,

§ a reduction in on-call across all grades including the implementation of the Laboratory Agreement,

§ a reduction in weekend and night duty across all grades, and

§ a reduction of all agency staff except in critical circumstances in accordance with the National Contract, and

(b) non-pay savings of some €30.9m through procurement contract savings across a wide range of non-pay spend items such as drugs and medicines and medical/surgical supplies.

HSE is also reporting that the hospitals in HSE West have also achieved additional income of €16.1m through a range of income maximisation measures, including maximising the use of private beds, reducing the debtor days and ensuring an efficient process for consultant medical staff sign-off of private health insurance claim forms. These measures have already reduced expenditure within the Western Region by €69m to the end of September, and will be intensified between now and the end of the year.