Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Jun 1996

Vol. 466 No. 5

Written Answers. - Dublin/Cork Hospitals' Budgets.

Máirín Quill

Question:

29 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Health the annual budget in respect of Cork University Hospital, St. James' Hospital, Dublin and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, in respect of each of the years from 1994 to 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11768/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The amount allocated by my Department to St. James's Hospital in respect of its non-capital expenditure was £63.357 million for 1994, £65.903 million in 1995 and £70.598 million for 1996.

The amount allocated to Beaumont Hospital was £54.981 million for 1994, £58.024 million for 1995 and £64.173 million for 1996.

Cork University Hospital is a health board hospital. Therefore, it is a matter for the health board to determine how much of its total funding it will allocate to a particular programme or service. The amount allocated by the Southern Health Board to Cork University Hospital was £38.739 million for 1994, £40.887 million in 1995 and £42.326 million for 1996.

I might add that, during the course of a year, certain further adjustments may be made to the amount allocated to a hospital, including national pay agreements, approved service developments coming on stream or Government initiatives such as the waiting list programme. Some of these adjustments are of a once-off nature and the funding may not fall to be repeated in the same amount, or at all, in the following year.

The final allocation for St. James's Hospital in respect of 1994 was £67.852 million and in respect of 1995 was £71.422 million. The final allocation for Beaumont Hospital in respect of 1994 was £58.759 million and in respect of 1995 was £63.998 million.

I understand that the Southern Health Board increased its allocation to Cork University Hospital to £40.139 million in respect of 1994 and to £42.985 million in respect of 1995.

Obviously, I am not yet in a position to give the final figures for 1996.