Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2018
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Budget Measures
17. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the work he and his officials are carrying out with the Department of Health on reported ongoing deficits in health expenditure; and his views on whether the estimates for health expenditure in 2018 are seriously underestimated. [28988/18]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I have prioritised the resourcing of our health system. Last year the Budget for the health sector was increased by almost 3.6% bringing the total funding to a record level of €15.3bn. In 2016 Ireland ranked sixth highest in terms of healthcare spend per capita out of all OECD countries.
There has also been a significant increase in the level of staffing. Since the beginning of 2015 to the end of Q1 2018, health staff numbers have increased by over 12,000 FTEs (12 per cent) to 112,526 FTEs. This growth represents nearly half of the increase in total public service staffing in the same period.
As outlined in the recent Summer Economic Statement, given the scale of overall expenditure in the health sector, and the additional resources allocated over the last four years, it is crucial that the Health allocation is managed effectively by the Department of Health and the HSE.
There is an ongoing process for monitoring expenditure in the Department of Health which includes the submission of monthly returns and regular meetings at Ministerial and official level. The Mid-Year Expenditure Report will review the overall expenditure position, outline further details of emerging trends at that stage, and also examine the scope for the provision of additional funding if necessary.
