Written Answers. - New Health Authority.
Liam Kavanagh
Question:
32
Mr. Kavanagh
asked the
Minister for Health
when he intends to publish the required legislation to re-organise the health services in the Eastern Health Board region; if he has completed his studies of other health boards throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Michael Creed
Question:
48
Mr. Creed
asked the
Minister for Health
if he intends to abolish the remaining health boards.
Paul McGrath
Question:
68
Mr. McGrath
asked the
Minister for Health
the procedure he proposes for funding those attending national specialities in the Dublin hospitals who do not reside in the Eastern Health Board areas under the new arrangements proposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Eric J. Byrne
Question:
70
Mr. Byrne
asked the
Minister for Health
if he will outline his plans for a new authority to replace the Eastern Health Board; the way in which the new authority will differ from the Eastern Health Board; whether it will still have elected public representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Pat Rabbitte
Question:
116
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Minister for Health
if he will outline (a) the role of Tallaght Hospital in his planned re-organisation of the Eastern Health Board system and (b) the timetable for that re-organisation.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 48, 68, 70 and 116 together.
The Government have agreed that I should prepare legislation, which I hope to have before this House next year, to put in place a single new authority to replace the Eastern Health Board. The new authority will be responsible for all health and personal social services in the Eastern Health Board area and will provide those services either through their own agencies or through voluntary agencies which they will fund directly. I would like to stress that the role of the voluntary sector will be respected under the new arrangements.
The board of the new authority, the membership of which will include elected public representatives, will be responsible for determining broad service objectives and for representing community views to me.
The principal objectives of the reforms are to achieve greater co-ordination between hospital and community services and a clearer assignment of accountability and tighter financial control within the organisation. The reforms will facilitate the shift from hospital/institutional-based care to community care which is a part of the new Programme for Government.
I am broadly happy with the number of boards in the rest of the country. However, I believe that the differing roles and responsibilities of the boards, the chief executive officers and the various other agencies need to be clarified and I will be taking this into account in preparing the legislation.
I have initiated a comprehensive consultation process with the relevant interests, following which I will be finalising the details of the new administrative structures. The question of the most appropriate method of funding the different services, including national specialities, will be considered as part of this process.
In relation to the Tallaght Hospital development, the position is that the capital allocation available to my Department for 1991 does not allow for the commencement of the project in 1991. However, as I have inidcated on several occasions, I will be considering the development of the Tallaght Hospital project in the context of the capital resources available to my Department in 1992 and subsequent years.
