Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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410. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, all the new financial commitments his Department has entered into to date in 2016, indicating the full year cost of same. [5285/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There has been one specific additional financial commitment entered into to date in 2016, which relates to a placement scheme for 4th year student nurses.

- 2016 Cost €3.5 million

- Full Year Cost €4.9 million

Granting incremental credit for the 36 week student nurse placement will also result in some additional costs in 2017, though not in 2016. The precise amount will depend on the number of students who are recruited following completion of the degree programme.

My Department has also sanctioned an agreement reached by the HSE with the nursing unions on the transfer of four key tasks from doctors to nurses and an agreement reached between the HSE and the INMO on the settlement of the Emergency Department dispute. Both of these agreements were sanctioned on the basis that the costs will be met from within existing resources.

There has been a positive engagement between the HSE, the Department and the IMO on a set of proposals for enhanced rural GP practice support and an updated list of special items of service. I welcome these proposals, which arise from the current phase of discussions under the on-going framework of engagement between the Department, the HSE and the IMO on the modernisation of the GMS GP contract. The Department is currently preparing a Statutory Instrument which would give effect to the proposed arrangements. Under the legislation, the Statutory Instrument also requires the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

A range of other commitments, including planned service developments, support for the Health Innovation Hub, a pilot project to implement the National Framework for Nurse Staffing and skill mix, and a range of important capital developments were set out in the HSE's 2016 National Service Plan and the Government's Capital Investment Plan 2016-2021.