Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Health the numbers of throughput and the level of acute funding to each hospital across the State. [17359/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 230: To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the budget provided to each hospital in the State reflects the level of health problems in the communities those hospitals serve and if he is satisfied that the comparative data he holds demonstrates a fair and equitable allocation to each hospital. [17360/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Hospital budgets are based on the historical development of services. Some services were developed as 'national specialties' because it would not be appropriate to develop them throughout the country - an example is the Neurological service at Beaumont hospital in Dublin.

In the latter years of the former health boards, there was a drive towards regional development of services, however, in the circumstance of cancer services, the deputy will be aware that such an approach was not appropriate and cancer centres of excellence have now been designated.

Accordingly, hospital services and associated budgets are not explicitly intended to support the health needs of each specific community where they are located. Instead, a broad range of services are available locally, and where necessary, more complex and specialised care is delivered through larger regional hospitals, centres of excellence and national specialty services.

The HSE does not have comparative data as requested by the deputy. However the deputy may be aware that the HSE operates a National Casemix System of resource distribution. In this model, the cost of hospital cases is compared using relative indices for case-complexity and resources are diverted away from the least efficient hospitals to the more efficient hospitals. This system does attempt to address any inequitable resource allocation.

It is also the case that the planned move to Universal Health Insurance will drive efficiency in the delivery of hospital services and assist in the 'money follows the patient' approach.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the budget provided for medical equipment replacement such as x-rays, cat scan machines, MRI scanners, ultra sound machines is satisfactory and if he has carried out an audit of what need to be replaced across the State. [17361/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.