Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 4 Jul 1996

Vol. 468 No. 2

Written Answers. - Health Board Funding.

Brendan Smith

Question:

79 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Health the funding per head of population in each health board area in respect of each of the years 1985, 1990, 1995 and 1996. [14858/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The approved expenditure per head of population in each of the health board areas in the years 1985, 1990, 1995 and 1996 are as follows:

	1985	1990	1995	1996
	£	£	£	£
Eastern Health Board	399	458	754	746
Midland Health Board	313	341	560	548
Mid-Western Health Board	305	335	545	533
North-Eastern Health Board	277	303	511	500
North-Western Health Board	395	420	691	661
South-Eastern Health Board	294	323	555	540
Southern Health Board	336	362	574	561
Western Health Board	395	442	698	679

The figures for 1985 are based on the 1981 census, for 1990 on the 1986 census and 1995 and 1996 on the 1991 census. The figures are calculated on the revised approved levels of expenditure for the agencies in the years 1985, 1990 and 1995 and the original approved level of expenditure in 1996. The 1995 and 1996 figures reflect the fact that the responsibility for funding the disabled person's maintenance allowance was transferred to the Department of Social Welfare in August 1995 and that there was substantial once-off expenditure in 1995 which will not be incurred in 1996. It should be noted that expenditure per head of population is an unweighted average which does not take into account a number of demographic and geographical 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.