Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Minister for Health the additional public funding that would be required to replace current private income in public hospitals at current levels; the details of private incomes in public hospitals and hospital groups in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11895/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Private patient income in public hospitals was €626m in 2016. This is exclusive of private patient consultant fees which are remitted directly to the treating consultant.

Over €2.7 billion income from private patient fees has been generated in public hospitals over the last 5 years. A detailed breakdown of this income by Hospital Group and individual hospital for each of the last 5 years is being provided directly to the Deputy.

At the simplest level, an additional €626m in public funding would be required to replace private income in public hospitals. However, there are also a range of potential indirect costs which it is not possible to quantify. For example, certain categories of hospital consultant enjoy rights to treat private patients in public hospitals and to receive fees directly for doing so. Elimination of private practice in public hospitals might have implications for the attractiveness of consultant appointments in public hospitals, and the salary levels required to successfully attract consultants generally or in particular specialties.