Vol. 435 No. 9
12 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the financial crisis in many of the country's health boards, he will review the non-capital allocation to boards for the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Officials of my Department are regularly in contact with each health board regarding its expenditure and I have been given no reason to believe a financial crisis exists in any board. Health boards have indicated that extra funding will be required to cover a number of items not included in their original non-capital allocations, including demand-led schemes and additional costs arising on medical indemnity insurance. My officials are currently in discussion with the boards to agree the adjustments to be made in the non-capital allocations in respect of approved expenditure, which will be the subject of a Supplementary Estimate.
While it is difficult to be precise concerning the likely year-end expenditure position following the adjustment of the boards non-capital allocations, it has been made absolutely clear in discussions with health boards that they are required to maintain expenditure within the approved allocation. The Deputy will be well aware of the major difficulties which have arisen for health boards and their creditors as a result of an accumulation of excess expenditure in the previous years. It is essential that this does not continue.
I take it the Minister is not replying to Question No. 16, which is related.
I will reply to that question separately.
The question stands on its own, Deputy.
With regard to his insistence that there is no crisis within the health boards, may I ask the Minister the amount owed to creditors by the various health boards?
I propose to address that issue in my reply to Question No. 16.
Let us not anticipate the reply to Question No. 16.
I put it to the Minister that the amount outstanding is approximately £74 million. Health boards have reached breaking point and it is no longer acceptable for county councillors and members of health boards, together with members of the medical profession, to have to carry the can for this crisis. Health boards are stumbling from crisis to crisis, creditors are owed a huge amount of money and huge amounts are being levied in bank interest on an annual basis. For the past number of years we have seen extensive rationalisation programmes, economising, value for money schemes, the sale of assets——
Sorry, Deputy, let us not forget the need for brevity.
I put it to the Minister that there is an urgent need to undertake a restructuring programme of the finances of health boards. The reason I am not as brief as you would like, a Cheann Comhairle, is that it is my firm belief the Minister does not understand the scale of the problem.
I want to be fair to the other Members who also tabled questions.
I have a difficulty in regard to this issue, which is the subject of a separate question. If I answer the Deputy's question now I will preclude other Deputies from joining in the debate.
Let us not upstage other Members who went to the trouble of putting down questions.
I will refute the inaccuracy of the Deputy's assertions to date when I deal with question No. 16. I want all Deputies to participate in that debate rather than deal with the matter under Priority Questions.
