Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

322. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of implementing the national maternity strategy. [51141/17]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

337. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the national maternity strategy; and the additional extra funding that will be required for its implementation. [51156/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 and 337 together.

Implementation of Ireland's first National Maternity Strategy - Creating A Better Future Together 2016 - 2026 - will be led by the National Women & Infants Health Programme. To this end, the Programme has developed a detailed Implementation Plan which I was pleased to launch last month. The Plan is presented under the Strategy's four strategic priorities and details how each of the 77 actions will be implemented. It represents another essential building block to provide a consistently safe and high quality maternity service.

The Programme has estimated that full implementation of the Strategy will cost in the region of an additional €80 million revenue funding over the lifetime of the Strategy. Work to identify the precise capital funding requirement is ongoing. The Strategy will be implemented on a phased basis over the coming years and therefore the funding requirement will vary from year to year. In that context, the Implementation Plan will inform the annual Estimates process each year.

I can confirm that additional funding will be provided for the Strategy in 2018, the detail of which will be set out in the National Service Plan 2018.