Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Nov 1998

Vol. 496 No. 3

Written Answers. - Health Board Expenditure.

Pádraic McCormack

Question:

269 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children the percentage of the Western Health Board budget spent on administration over the past ten years; and the percentage spent on hospital and patient care. [22576/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The figures requested by the Deputy are shown in the following tabular statement.

These are figures extracted from the board's annual financial statements. While there may be some minor variation in the analysis among boards, the amount of expenditure on administration in this board is consistent with that in other boards. It must be pointed out that expenditure on administration includes those elements in respect of administration associated with direct patient care.

It can be seen that expenditure devoted to acute hospital care has increased in the most recent years. This is consistent with the decision to improve acute hospital services within the board. In addition, I agreed further programmes of development in 1998 in areas such as cardiac surgery and cancer services.

It is a board's responsibility to determine the amount of funding it may attribute to acute hospitals, or any other programme, in terms of its priorities.

The Deputy will be aware that, under the accountability legislation, it is a reserved function of the board to draw up a service plan on the basis of its approved funding and to satisfy itself that the service plan is delivered within the limits of this funding.

Western Health Board 1987-97

Year	A Actual Net Expenditure	B Administration Expenditure	C General Hospital Net Expenditure	% B of A	% C of A
1997	213,733,419	12,542,181	95,477,738	5.87	44.67
1996	184,209,010	10,887,255	83,473,355	5.91	45.29
1995	183,654,194	10,147,391	77,031,136	5.53	41.94
1994	173,629,376	9,786,602	70,138,046	5.64	40.40
1993	164,717,630	9,153,894	69,548,088	5.56	42.22
1992	150,461,382	7,676,379	62,804,769	5.10	41.74
1991	137,935,116	7,275,899	57,520,261	5.27	41.70
1990	124,001,001	6,956,850	53,323,857	5.61	43.00
1989	113,292,864	5,948,630	47,259,895	5.25	41.71
1988	107,462,073	5,545,500	43,981,075	5.16	40.93