asked the Minister for Health the cost of administration per head of population in each health board area for each year since the establishment of the boards.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Board Administration Costs.
42.
The information requested in so far as the years 1972-73 and 1973-74 are concerned is in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report. The figures set out in the statement relate only to administrative staff costs. They do not include items such as heating, lighting, equipment and furniture, telephones, and so on, the cost of which, as the Deputy will appreciate, would be difficult to apportion.
The year 1971-72 was the first year of operation of the health boards established under the Health Act, 1970. Information regarding administration costs is not readily available for that period as some administrative functions of the boards were carried out in this transition period on an agency basis by county councils.
Following is the statement:
HEALTH Boards—Administration Costs per Head of Population.
|
Health Board |
1972-73 |
1973-74 |
|
£ |
£ |
|
|
Eastern |
0.88 |
1.04 |
|
Midland |
1.16 |
1.30 |
|
Mid-Western |
1.28 |
1.34 |
|
North-Western |
1.29 |
1.43 |
|
North-Eastern |
0.75 |
0.92 |
|
Southern |
1.09 |
1.19 |
|
South-Eastern |
1.13 |
1.24 |
|
Western |
1.02 |
1.20 |
What year do the figures refer to?
They refer to 1972-73 and 1973-74.
Do the figures indicate any substantial divergence between administrative costs in the different areas?
At a glance the administrative cost per head of the population ranged from .75p for the North-Eastern Health Board to the highest, the Mid-Western Health Board, at £1.28, for 1972-73.
I am not so much concerned with individual figures for any particular area but would the Minister agree that the information sought in this question would provide a very useful guide to the administrative efficiency of the different boards in relation to each other? In view of the fact that there is fairly widespread criticism that boards are tending to build up cumbersome bureaucratic machines around themselves, would the Minister undertake to keep these monitoring figures under review with a view to seeing that each board maintains roughly the same level of efficiency in this respect?
That has been done, and it will continue. There seems to be a gap but there may be reasons in respect of particular health boards. Glancing at the figures for 1973-74, I do not think the difference is as wide as it was in 1972-73. Needless to remark, there have been increases in administrative costs.
Will the Minister keep the situation under review with a view to seeing if any particular board is less efficient than another in this regard?
Yes. I do not disagree with what the Deputy says. Some allegations have been made—I am not saying the Deputy made the allegations —about empire building and so on but I have no evidence to show that such is the case. The Government and I are concerned about administrative costs and the disparity between the lowest and the highest, and between them generally. I undertake to keep the matter under review as I have done in the last two years.