Written answers

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Department of Health

Health Services Funding

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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534. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on his recent estimations of the amount of funding that is required to fix our failing healthcare systems, including funding for acute hospitals, emergency rooms, community care, nursing home care, residential care for those with disabilities, and residential detoxification services, per heading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28353/15]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Health care infrastructure projects support service delivery and are determined by the demands and pressures of the service to be delivered. There will always be more infrastructure projects than can be funded by the Exchequer and future developments must be prioritised for consideration within the context of the overall capital envelope available to the health service. A focused review of priorities and the current and emerging health care pressures and demands has been completed in the context of the review by the Department of Public Expenditure of the State's public capital investment needs for the five year period 2016-2020. The outcome will be set out in that Department's Medium Term Capital Investment Framework Report and will outline the capital envelope decided upon by the Government for the period to 2020 identifying priority areas for investment, including health care investment. The report will be published when the Government has considered and made its decisions on future capital investment. Therefore it would not be timely to comment on the process at this stage.

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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535. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on whether he is making a Supplementary Estimate for 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28354/15]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Exchequer funding provided in 2015 provided a more realistic funding level for the health services and was very welcome as part of a two year programme to put the health services on a more sustainable financial footing.

However, pressures are arising in a number of areas, particularly in relation to expenditure on acute hospital services, demand led schemes and legal settlements. In addition, the Government committed additional funding of €74m earlier this year to address the issue of delayed discharges and ED pressures, which of itself would require a Supplementary Estimate.

Whilst it is clear that a Supplementary Estimate will be required, given the uncertainty around certain expenditure areas, it is too early to quantify this requirement.

My Department continues to work closely with the HSE to ensure that the greatest degree of budgetary control is exercised.

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