This policy area is the responsibility of the Minister for Health. Management of the budget allocation as voted by the Dail is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer for that Department.
I, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform have consistently prioritised Health, as evidenced by the additional €1.7 bn that has been invested into the health service since this Government took office (€0.5bn in July 2016, €0.5bn in Budget 2017 and €727m in Budget 2018). Spending on our health services is already at record levels. The most recent OECD evidence is that Ireland ranked sixth highest in terms of healthcare spend per capita out of all OECD countries. HSE staffing levels increased from 103,884 to 110,795 over the last two years, this is an additional 6,911 or 7% increase. This investment has included substantial recruitment of front-line staff.
With regard to my Department, it is in regular contact with all Departments and Offices to ensure that expenditure is being managed within the overall fiscal parameters and there is regular reporting to Government on expenditure levels including the reporting of any risks to Budget allocations. The drawdown of funds from the Exchequer is monitored against published expenditure profiles and this information is published each month in the Exchequer Statement.
