Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 1994

Vol. 437 No. 6

Written Answers. - Health Board Allocation.

John Bruton

Question:

531 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health if the per capita allocation to the North Eastern Health Board will be increased proportionally in 1994; and whether the per capita allocation to that board in 1993 was the lowest in the country.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

The 1994 allocations for the health boards are due to be finalised shortly. I am not therefore in a position to indicate the level of increase in allocations for the boards at present. With regard to the second part of the Deputy's question, the allocations and the allocation per head of population for each health board in 1993 were as follows:

Health Board Area	Allocations (£m)	Per head of population (£)
Eastern	293.130	236
Midland	77.205	380
Mid-Western	104.407	336
North-Eastern	80.791	268
North-Western	99.086	476
South-Eastern	137.237	358
Southern	185.169	348
Western	153.021	446

The figures quoted are in respect of original allocations notified to the health boards last year. The allocation per head of population is calculated on the basis of the 1991 census of population. The final adjustment of allocations for 1993 has not yet been made and I will communicate the final figures to the Deputy as soon as they are available. It should be noted that these figures refer only to the allocations to the boards; they do not include expenditure on voluntary hospitals, directly funded homes for the mentally handicapped and payments made by the General Medical Services (Payments) Board. It should also be noted that the allocation per head of population is an unweighted average and fails to take account of a number of important demographic and geographic factors. The difference in the cost of health care in each region is also influenced by other factors such as access to higher specialities, density of population and the present stage of development of the services.