asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in notifying the allocation to health boards for 1986.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Health Boards Allocations.
52.
The 1986 non-capital allocation arrangements generally have only recently been finalised. Health boards will be notified of their allocations in the very near future.
If the allocation arrangements have been finalised, why have they not been notified to the health boards at this stage? The Minister will accept that the allocations for 1985 were notified to the health boards at the end of November 1984. To date, the health boards have not yet been informed of the 1986 allocations. If they are already agreed, why not notify the health boards immediately? Was the reason for the delay the Government intention to reduce the allocation for health which was in the provisional Estimates published and circulated to this House before Christmas?
The issuing of the notices and the letters of allocations to the agencies has taken time because, of necessity, a number of policy questions arise every year. These questions have now been resolved and I hope to issue the notifications to the health boards this week. There will be a meeting at official level, either today or tomorrow, with the chief executive officers of the health boards and we will be issuing these notifications in the immediate future.
The Minister did not answer the second part of my question. Was the reason for the delay in issuing the allocations to allow for a reduction in the health figure which was circulated in the Estimates published before Christmas?
I am not in a position to deal with that question at this stage. The allocations will be notified in the immediate future.
Is the Minister aware of the difficulties the health boards experienced in the last two years particularly and of the very serious reduction there has been in the level of services — hospital service, community care service and so on? Can the Minister assure the House that sufficient money will be allocated to the health boards and the voluntary hospitals this year to carry out their functions successfully without any further reduction in the level of services?
I am well aware of all the problems facing the health agencies because I spent a great deal of time working with them. To say any more before the allocations are made would be simply indulging in generalities.