Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Health the amount provided under the capital plan for system-wide investment in information communication technology; the amount spent to date; the expected completion date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18781/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The capital allocation for eHealth and information and communications technology (ICT) in the 2017 capital plan is €55.0m and is informed by the eHealth strategy published by the Department of Health in December 2013. Some of the key priority areas in 2017 are:

- The refreshment and replacement of existing technology (ongoing);

- Medical Laboratories Information System (MEDLIS) (funding projected to 2021);

- National Ambulance Services – equipment replacement programme (ongoing);

- Maternal and Newborn Information System (MN-CMS) (funding expected through to 2023); and

- National Finance System (funding expected through to 2021).

Of the €55.0m capital allocation, current ICT capital expenditure to end March 2017 has been €10.2m and the full allocation is expected to be spent in the current year. The capital provision for eHealth and ICT projected to 2021 are set out below and allows for a multi-annual rolling programme of work on multiple projects.

The capital provision set out in the table above does not include provision for the full costs outlined in the New Children’s Hospital ICT business case nor for the national Electronic Health Record (EHR) business case. My Department is working closely with the HSE, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and other stakeholders in evaluating the EHR business case and working to secure increases in public investment in eHealth in the context of the Mid-Term Capital Review that will be completed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform by Autumn 2017.