Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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269. To ask the Minister for Health the relationship between his Department and the HSE; the way in which the two organisations are linked; if he will provide a chart to outline the structure of the interrelationship; the level at which contact from his Department is channelled to and from the HSE; the way in which the structure through which information is passed from the HSE to his Department and vice versa; the way in which he receives accurate information from the front-line service providers within the HSE in terms of statistics, practices, feedback and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14877/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The current relationship between my Department and the HSE is set out in the Health Act 2004.  Under this Act, the HSE Directorate is accountable to the Minister for Health for the performance of its functions.  The Director General must account to the Minister for Health, via the Secretary General of my Department, for the performance of the Directorate’s functions.  The Act states that the Minister for Health determines the annual expenditure for the HSE and the Executive submits its Corporate Plan and Service Plans to the Minister for Health for approval.   

Engagement between my Department and the HSE is multifaceted and takes place at many levels within both organisations.  There is regular and on-going contact between Divisions and Line Units in my Department and their counterparts within the HSE in relation to the provision of services, the development and implementation of health policy and legislation, reform and other health initiatives.  This on-going engagement results in multiple information flows between my Department, the HSE and other stakeholders.

In addition to these engagements, a monthly performance management process is in place to provide Departmental oversight of the performance of the HSE in the delivery of the services set out in its annual National Service Plans. Performance against the Key Performance Indicators set out in these Plans is tracked and monitored by both the HSE itself and my Department through monthly performance reports (specifically Performance Profiles and Management Data Reports) which are produced by the HSE and submitted to my Department. These reports are subsequently published by the HSE on a quarterly basis. As part of the performance management process, monthly high-level meetings between my Department’s Management Board and HSE senior management are held to discuss on-going or emerging performance issues and to determine actions to resolve and improve areas of concern.