asked the Minister for Health the basis of the funding of voluntary hospitals; whether deductions are made from the financial allocation of individual health boards in respect of patients referred to voluntary hospitals from the health board area; the number of patients referred to each voluntary hospital from the area of the Western Health Board during 1988; and the amount of the deduction made from the financial allocation of that health board for 1989.
Written Answers. - Voluntary Hospitals.
255.
Voluntary hospitals are funded directly by the Department of Health on behalf of health boards from a specific subhead in the Health Vote.
The expenditure equivalent of this subhead is apportioned over the individual health boards on the basis of the geographic usage of services and as appears in the abstract of accounts as an addition to their direct services allocations.