Limerick East): In the first instance, funding provided by my Department in respect of non-capital — current — spending is approved in respect of an individual health board. It is then a matter for each health board to determine the budgeted non-capital expenditure for each service programme for that particular year. At health board level, non-capital spending is analysed by programme and by service. However, analysis by county is not a feature of existing systems.
It is not the normal practice to give capital allocations to health boards or voluntary hospitals, other than in respect of urgent fire precaution and maintenance works. The capital commitments for each year generally arise from decisions on individual projects, many of which involve expenditure over a number of years.
I am setting out in the following statement, for the Deputy's information, (i) the non-capital funding made available to the Western Health Board for the years 1987 to 1996 and (ii) the capital funding which was made available by my Department to finance expenditure on health facilities in County Galway for the years 1987 to 1995. The expenditure figure for 1996 will not be available until the end of the year.
Original non-capital allocations for the Western Health Board in the period 1987 to 1996.