Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
1574. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1048 of 16 July 2013, if he intends to provide funding for staffing resourcing in the next 12 months to enable the Health Service Executive reinstate the physiotherapy disability services for children over 5 years of age in north west Dublin. [38648/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, accountability for the management of services is a matter for the HSE to address within the ambit of its Vote (Vote 39). The level of health services to be delivered within the available funding for 2013 has been set out in the HSE National Service Plan for 2013, which I approved in January. The HSE will provide in the order of €1.5 billion in 2013 to fund health services for children and adults with disabilities, including autism. This represents approximately 11.5% of the €13.3 billion health budget for 2013. It should also be noted that while the HSE provides a range of services to adults and children with disabilities, the majority of this funding is distributed through non-statutory agencies who deliver over 80% of all disability services.
The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet its fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. This policy requires the health service to reduce its workforce to 98,938 wholetime equivalent employees by the end of 2013. However, the HSE can make staff appointments once it remains within its overall employment ceiling and has the financial resources to do so.
The particular issue raised by the Deputy is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
