Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 November 2019
143. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to reinstate the €1.8 million that was used to balance HSE accounts (details supplied) in view of the disproportionate disinvestment in Traveller health as highlighted by Traveller organisations in 2009 to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children and recently in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community. [47043/19]
View answer145. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase resources to address Traveller health inequalities from the additional funding allocated in budget 2020. [47045/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 145 together.
The Department provides funding in the region of €10m per annum to the HSE for targeted measures to improve the health status of the Travelling community. These include:
- primary healthcare projects, counselling services, family support programmes and men's health projects; dedicated public health nurses and related staff;
- mental health promotion and suicide prevention services in a culturally sensitive manner, to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
The Department will allocate €17 billion to the HSE for the delivery of health services in 2020. The details of these services will be set out in the HSE National Service Plan for 2020. The plan will include specific measures to improve Traveller health, including a Traveller health action plan.
Both I and the Minister for Health are engaged and supportive of the Traveller health action plan and we are committed to providing the leadership to support the implementation of the plan.
