Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 26 Sep 1996

Vol. 469 No. 2

Written Answers. - Health Board Budget Allocation.

Dermot Ahern

Ceist:

66 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Health the annual budgetary allocation to each of the health boards; the amount granted per head of population in each of the health board regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17083/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The annual budgetary allocation for each health board and the expenditure per capita in each health board region for 1996 is as follows:

Health Boards — 1996 Original Non-Capital Allocations

Board
	£m
Eastern Health Board	360.36
Midland Health Board	91.44
Mid-Western Health Board	120.85
North-Eastern Health Board	99.11
North-Western Health Board	112.71
South-Eastern Health Board	166.1
Southern Health Board	214.23
Western Health Board	176.5

Expenditure per Head of Population for each Health Board Region — 1996

Board
	£m
Eastern Health Board	746
Midland Health Board	548
Mid-Western Health Board	533
North-Eastern Health Board	500
North-Western Health Board	661
South-Eastern Health Board	540
Southern Health Board	561
Western Health Board	679

It should be noted that in calculating the expenditure per head of population, all expenditure on health services in each health board region is taken into account and not just expenditure on services funded directly by the boards themselves. This would include expenditure on voluntary hospitals and mental handicap homes.

The expenditure per head of population is an unweighted average and does not take into consideration a number of demographic and geographical factors. The differences in the cost of health care in each region is also influenced by other factors such as access to higher specialities, density of population and the present development of the services.