Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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373. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has any formal or informal role in reviewing or advising on the Health Service Executive’s annual National Service Plan prior to its approval by the Minister for Health; if his Department considers the financial realism or deliverability of performance targets such as the 100% completion target for children’s assessments of need when agreeing annual expenditure ceilings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62790/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In my role as Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, my officials and I support all Departments and their agencies in the delivery of their mandates through the functions of my Department including expenditure oversight, ongoing enhancement of the central accountability, governance, value for money frameworks, expenditure policy, procurement policy, pay and pension policy, and setting and facilitating the overall public service reform agenda.

It is the responsibility of each Accounting Officer to manage expenditure in line with their budgetary allocation and the central expenditure, accountability and value for money frameworks.

Given that the Health budget represents over one fifth of total Government expenditure, there are enhanced ways in which I and my Department engage with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. One of those key oversight mechanisms is the Health Budget Oversight Group (HBOG) consisting of senior officials in the two Departments and the HSE which meets monthly with a particular focus on monitoring overall expenditure and staffing as well as reporting on the achievement of savings and efficiencies, amongst other matters. Under section 31(1) of the Health Act (as amended), the HSE must provide a Service Plan to the Minister for Health and the Minister Children, Disability and Equality for approval. My Department engages with the draft HSE Service Plan, prior to its final approval. The focus of this engagement is the effective implementation of the governance and expenditure management frameworks in the health sector to support delivery in line with the performance targets set and the expenditure allocation agreed by Government.

As the National Service Plan for the Health Service Executive is drafted following the agreement of annual expenditure ceilings, specific National Service Plan performance targets for the coming year do not directly feed into the agreement of these ceilings. However, my officials assess all available evidence, including Performance Indicators and service delivery when considering expenditure requirements for the following year during the Annual Estimates Process.

Feasibility of delivery of health service targets are ultimately matters for the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Health Service Executive.