asked the Minister for Health if his statement to the Irish Nurses' Organisation on 11 November 1983 that our total health expenditure in this current year will be of the order of £1,100 million is accurate; and if so, the reasons for this overrun, given that the budget estimate was £925.6 million for current expenditure and £53 million for capital expenditure.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Expenditure.
1.
There will be no over-run on the Health Estimate in the current year.
The budget non-capital estimate of £925.6 million for Health for 1983 represents the grant provision payable in 1983 towards approved non-capital expenditure on health services. Most of the balance of grant due is payable in the following year and final adjustments are made on the basis of audited accounts.
The gross non-capital expenditure related to the non-capital grant provision of £925.6 million is £1,070.5 million. This expenditure is categorised by Programme and Service on pages 202 and 203 of the 1983 Revised Estimates for Public Services and falls to be increased to £1,090 million to take account of amounts proper to the Health Vote included in the Special Vote for Remuneration, Vote 50.
Capital expenditure will be £53 million as provided for in subhead K of the Health Estimate.
Is the Minister satisfied he will receive what he estimated from health contributions?
I am satisfied in relation to the PAYE sector that I will have a few million pounds extra. That will be offset by a lesser receipt from farmers and the self-employed as forecast for 1983. Overall I will have a slight increase in health contributions on that basis.
May we take it that there will not be any further cutbacks in Health expenditure before the end of the year?
Absolutely. It is quite remarkable, if I may sound somewhat self-laudatory, that this is the first year since 1978 we have kept rigidly within our Health Estimate. There has not been any Supplementary Estimate this year. I should like to thank the various agencies, the health boards and hospitals, for staying within their budgets. As the Deputy is aware, this has not involved cuts.
Did the Government not announce in July that they were cutting Health expenditure by £13 million this year?
As the Deputy is aware, we had an extra £3 million in increased revenue. In addition I got from the UK Government some millions of pounds due in terms of EEC transfers. As the Deputy is aware, we take care on a health basis of UK nationals here. That money enabled us to meet any over-runs which were there at that time. As a consequence the £13 million was saved. It was a once off fortuitous windfall.
The Minister must accept that there were cutbacks during the year. For instance, the Minister added more than 200 drugs to the list of drugs not allowed under the GMS.
No. There is a bit of mythology going around that during the past 12 months there was a cut-back on the health services. I have not done that. In fact, I have maintained the level of services agreed for 1983 exactly pound for pound.