Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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340. To ask the Minister for Health the budget allocation for the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics in each of the years 2016 to 2019, in tabular form; the number of staff in the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3922/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) was established in 1998 and its remit is to advise the HSE and the Department of Health in relation to the cost-effectiveness of medicines, through the carrying out of health technology assessments (HTAs).

The NCPE's workload has increased significantly, from less than five assessments per year in 2007 to eighty assessments per year in 2017. In addition, the complexity of individual assessments has increased greatly.

A 2017 Grant Thornton review of the NCPE indicated that it was understaffed, at 8.5 whole time equivalents, and that an additional 9 staff, including senior pharmacists, HTA assessors and statisticians, would be required to meet the additional workload.

I allocated an additional €750,000 to the NCPE in 2018 to support the recruitment of the additional staff, which has been underway since then. Staffing and expenditure levels are outlined in the following table. The 2019 expenditure estimate includes salary and superannuation, and non-pay costs such as ongoing training and development.

NCPE Staffing and expenditure 2016 - 2019