Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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81. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to address the lower health outcomes in deprived areas; if extra resources will be given to these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41361/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The determinants of health include income and social status; employment and working conditions;  education and literacy; childhood experiences; physical environments; social supports; healthy behaviours; and access to health services.  Clearly, addressing such issues extends beyond the policy remit of a single government Department and requires complex cross-governmental policy solutions that seek to create the economic, social, cultural and physical environments that foster healthy living, supported by socially targeted interventions that address the specific needs of at-risk groups.

With regard to my Department, Healthy Ireland is the national framework to improve the health and wellbeing of the population, and actions to reduce health inequalities are inherent in a range of national health policies under the umbrella of the Healthy Ireland Framework.   As well as raising awareness of the social and environmental determinants of health, Healthy Ireland aims to help empower communities to engage in improving their own health and wellbeing and mobilise responses to the challenges they face at local level.  For example, in the first round of funding, some 70% of the €5m allocated to the Healthy Ireland Fund benefitted disadvantaged groups and communities

Furthermore, as part of the package of GP contractual reforms, it has been agreed that the GP rural practice allowance will be increased in 2020 while targeted funding of €2 million will be set aside to provide additional support to practices in deprived urban areas.  It should also be noted that deprivation index scores are one factor used in determining the prioritisation of the development of  Primary Care Centres,  while local population needs are taken into account in the provision of primary and community services.