asked the Minister for Health if he will state in respect of the estimated net health expenditure by health authorities in 1957-58 and in 1958-59 the amount spent or to be spent on (a) dental services, and (b) ophthalmic services.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Expenditure on Dental and Ophthalmic Services.
As health authorities do not make separate returns to my Department of their net health expenditure on dental and ophthalmic services, it is not possible, without asking them specially, to give the information in the form requested at (a) and (b) of the Deputy's question.
The estimated expenditure of health authorities on both ophthalmic and dental services for the financial year 1957-58 was £165,000; final figures for that year are not yet available. For the year 1958-59—the current year—the total estimated expenditure on these services is £178,000. Dental services account for the bulk of the expenditure represented by these figures, i.e. about ¾ths, and ophthalmic services for the remainder.