Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1336. To ask the Minister for Health the reason his Department has still not sent funding for projects funded under the National Drugs Strategy allocation in Budget 2021 to the HSE. [42475/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In Budget 2021, the Department of Health provided funding of €10 million for new measures under the National Drugs Strategy. The details of these measures were subsequently outlined in the HSE National Service Plan 2021. In line with existing practice, an element of this funding was held back in the Department of Health. The level of funding released during the year for delivery of the new measures is subject to the submission, review, approval and commencement of these measures. To date, the HSE has requested €6.93m of this funding, which has been approved.

In cases where the entire amount of expenditure is not expected by year end, this is largely due once off time related savings, which can be attributed to the following:

- Recruitment into designated roles, including notice period requirements resulting in actual start dates later than estimated.

- Facilities opening later than the timing assumed when planning the operational funding levels in the Budget due to delays construction timetable.

- Procurement/negotiation timelines extending longer than originally planned for when setting funding levels.

I acknowledge the work of the HSE in operationalising the business cases for the new measures announced in Budget 2021, especially taking into account the resources required to manage the public health response to Covid-19. I expect that all the new measures will have commenced by Quarter 4 this year.