Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2022
749. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the European Union funding which his Department has or could avail of; if there is a dedicated individual or office which ensures his Department is availing optimally of European Union funding for healthcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6544/22]
View answerThe Department of Health and its agencies actively engage with a wide range of EU activity including funding programmes; EU funding is disbursed through a variety of channels to the Department, agencies and the wider health sector. In my Department, the International Unit leads on coordinating EU activity among the various policy units with responsibility for particular issues.
The primary EU funding source in health has been the multiannual EU health programmes. The EU launched its fourth health programme, EU4Health, in 2021. EU4Health sees a tenfold increase in funding in relation to the previous health programme, totalling €5.3 billion for the period 2021-2027. Funding will be allocated through a range of grants and prizes and through procurement mechanisms. These are open to academia, research institutes, hospitals, public health authorities, Member States’ administrations, enterprises in the field of public health, private entities (profit and non-profit), professional associations, international organisations and civil society organisations. The Department of Health, in close cooperation with Ireland's EU4Health National Focal Point in the Health Research Board, is working to maximise Ireland’s participation in and drawdown of funding from EU4Health.
The second main source of funding relates to North South health projects. The Special EU Programmes Body is responsible for the management of EU Cross Border Programmes including the current INTERREG VA programme. The Department of Health is an Accountable Department under the health and social care infrastructure priority of this Programme. The Programme currently has an allocation of €62.35m. This is made up of €53m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) plus match funding of €9.35m from the participating jurisdictions of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
