The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by the health boards, subject to general direction and control by my Department. An allocation of €654.83 million was provided in the Vote for my Department in 2004 to meet the estimated overall cost of the scheme and its administration this year. The allocation is not apportioned initially to each health board each year, but is drawn down by health boards to meet individual scheme payments and administrative costs as they arise.
Scheme and administrative expenditure is monitored closely by my Department throughout the year, through data from the computerised claim payment system and regular returns from health boards. Details of total expenditure, comprising both programme and administration expenditure, by health board up to 31 October 2004 are set out in the following tabular statement:
Gross expenditure on supplementary welfare allowance by health board at end October 2004.
Health Board
|
Expenditure €000
|
Eastern Regional Health Authority
|
289,185
|
Midland Health Board
|
21,594
|
Mid-Western Health Board
|
37,131
|
North Eastern Health Board
|
31,699
|
North Western Health Board
|
20,267
|
South Eastern Health Board
|
52,514
|
Southern Health Board
|
73,572
|
Western Health Board
|
50,452
|
Total
|
576,414
|
This is the gross expenditure on supplementary welfare allowance before inter-scheme adjustments and refunds are taken into account.