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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Mar 2003

Vol. 563 No. 4

Written Answers - Homeless Persons.

Seán Crowe

Question:

415 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 412 of 11 March 2003, the criteria which was used by his Department in assessing the submission from each health board to decide the size and form of the allocations made to each health board; if it will be possible to obtain a full and complete copy of that criteria as issued to the people involved; the members of his Department who were involved in the decision making process where the size and form of these allocations was determined; the positions they held and hold now within his Department; if people involved in the decision making process were from outside his Department; and if so, their identities and their positions. [7802/03]

The methods used for deciding on the determinations for health boards-authority relate to the base level of approved funding being carried over into 2003, increased by overall adjustments decided by the Government for specific services, pay increases, demand led schemes, demographics and inflation factors, the hepatitis C and HIV compensation tribunal, bed capacity and waiting list initiatives and other service developments.

The various divisions in my Department, including the appropriate assistant secretaries and directors and other relevant grades reporting to them, then consider the determinations for the services for which they have responsibility in the context of the above and allocate these resources in draft form for each health board-authority. These decisions are then brought together by the Department's finance unit as overall determinations for each health board-authority. The decisions on the determinations are informed by ongoing discussions during the previous year between health boards-authority and my officials.

The Secretary General of my Department and I will then decide ultimately on the final determinations for those agencies.

Seán Crowe

Question:

416 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether the amount of funding being made available by his Department for the implementation of Homelessness - An Integrated Strategy is insufficient to allow new projects to be progressed in 2003 as previously agreed under the plan. [7803/03]

Since 2000, €21.03 million additional funding has been made available by my Department to meet our commitments under Homelessness – An Integrated Strategy. This is ongoing funding and will remain available to health boards for the provision of health services to homeless adults.

My Department has regular contact with the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in relation to implementing the health aspects of the above strategy. They have not indicated to my Department that the funding provided is insufficient to allow new projects to be progressed in 2003.

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