Written answers

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Department of Health

Departmental Funding

7:00 pm

Photo of Terence FlanaganTerence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 391: To ask the Minister for Health not to cut funding for an organisation (details supplied) and for those with intellectual disabilities in budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38490/11]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Health Service Executive has advised me that expenditure on health services for people with a disability in 2011 will be approximately €1.5 billion. Special consideration was given to disability and mental health in Budget 2011 through a maximum reduction of just 1.8% in the allocation for the two sectors. The relatively lower reduction of 1.8%, compared to other areas of the health budget that saw reductions of up to 5%, recognises that these services are provided to vulnerable groups and should help to ensure that existing services are maintained and that priority is given to the delivery of front-line services.

I recognise and appreciate the valuable contribution that St. Michael's House makes to the provision of services to individuals with intellectual disabilities in Dublin and Navan through a range of community-based day, respite, and residential services on behalf of the Health Service Executive. The HSE has advised that St. Michael's House will receive approximately €72 million in funding from them in 2011. Taking the reduction in the overall HSE disability budget for 2011 into account, the HSE was asked to manage the additional resources and engage with service providers including St. Michael's House, to ensure that existing support needs, and demands for additional places and supports, are managed effectively within the overall allocation.

Budget 2012

I am acutely aware of the challenges facing the disability services as a result of reduced resources in 2012. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced that an efficiency saving of 2% is being applied to the budget for disability services in 2012. Services will also have to make provision for savings in employment and procurement costs which are required of the health services as a whole next year. The precise levels of savings required will vary depending on the profile of individual service providers and will be determined within the context of the HSE's service planning process. Services will also have to meet anticipated extra demand from within their budgets in 2012.

Value for Money & Policy Review of Disability Services

A major priority for the Government in the coming months will be to finalise the current Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services to ensure that existing funding for people with disabilities is spent to best effect. It is now more important than ever that large scale spending programmes of this nature are subject to detailed periodic review. The VFM Efficiency and Effectiveness Review will make recommendations that will ensure that the very substantial funding of €1.5 billion provided to the specialist disability health sector is used to maximum benefit for persons with disability, having regard to overall resource constraints which affect all sectors at this time.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.