Vol. 505 No. 5
39 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the extent to which sufficient resources are available in all hospitals to meet current and future requirements to include nursing, surgical, general medical staff, hospital facilities and accommodation; if he has satisfied himself that these resources are adequate to deal with the issue of waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14073/99]
The Government has provided more than £3.5 billion to the health services in 1999. This is an increase of 10 per cent on the 1998 provision, when hepatitis C compensation payments are excluded and is one of the most significant increases received by the health services in many years. These resources have allowed my Department, when determining net expenditure levels for health agencies, to take account of pay increases, non-pay inflation and other technical items and also to invest additional resources in a broad range of service areas.
Each of the health boards and major agencies have adopted a service plan for 1999 within the approved determination. These service plans specify the quantum of services to be delivered over the course of the year. Progress in the current year would indicate that agencies are operating successfully in terms of both the activity and budgetary parameters underpinning their service plans.
I have allocated a total of £20 million to the health agencies in respect of elective procedures and waiting list work during 1999. This represents an increase of 66 per cent over the allocation of £12 million for 1998 and an increase of 250 per cent over the amount allocated by the previous Government in 1997. Together with the recommendations of the review group on the waiting list initiative which I established in 1998, and which are currently being implemented by each health agency, I am glad to report that the numbers on the waiting lists went down by a total of 1887 during the first quarter of 1999.
