Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1057. To ask the Minister for Health the amount it will cost to maintain the current levels of service provision across the health service in 2018 in view of demographic changes and inflation. [36352/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The HSE has published a report "Planning for Health" which considers demographics and healthcare needs moving forward. This report, along with other analysis undertaken by my Department will be considered in the context of the Estimates negotiations. The level of funding available for my Department will be considered as part of this national Estimates campaign, and pending completion of this process it is not appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1058. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of the health budget that is spent on direct or indirect subsidies to private medicine. [36353/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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All persons ordinarily resident in Ireland are eligible for public health services, which are funded from the Health budget. There is no direct subsidisation of private medicine. Indirect subsidisation is largely avoided by maintaining the private hospital charge at, or as close to as possible, the economic rate.