Primary Care Centre Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Questions (863)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

863. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reasons for the disparity in the budget allocation for primary care as outlined in the 2013 and 2014 Health Service Executive service plans; the way the 2013 €400 million primary care allocation as set out in the 2013 service plan became €514 million as detailed in the 2014 service plan and was further revised to €727.3 million; if any services not previously bracketed under primary care are now being described as such and the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1321/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The National Service Plan 2013 provided a budget for Primary Care of €400m (gross) and this was based on former community care services. Since the establishment of the Primary Care Division in July 2013, Primary Care now covers a number of services which were formerly under other structures and these are listed below:

- Primary Care (former community care services);

- Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS);

- Social Inclusion including the National Drug Treatment Centre;

- The GP Out-of-Hours Service;

- Oral Health;

- Civil Registration;

- The National Contracts Office; and

- The Medicines Management Programme.

Accordingly, budget allocations for 2013 and 2014 cannot be compared as they reflect different levels of service and budget alignment to the new Primary Care Division. The 2014 Primary Care divisional budget amounts to €3.1 billion, which includes the range of services now provided under Primary Care, Social Inclusion and PCRS as outlined above. This figure also accounts for adjustments made to the multi-care group sector as part of the establishment of the divisions.