Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 July 2022
704. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 419 of 10 February 2022, if he has ever directed the HSE to fund any capital project in the State since he assumed office. [38942/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is a formal process in place for the appraisal, approval and prioritisation of capital projects for funding and inclusion in the HSE Capital Plan. I can confirm that since I assumed office this is the process that has been applied in the selection of projects for funding and development of all Capital Plans.
Each year, after the budget, details of funding and priorities are set out in the Letter of Determination I issue to the HSE. Upon receipt of the Letter of Determination, the HSE must develop a National Service Plan and Capital Plan, which must then be submitted to me for review and approval.
In the development of the Capital Plan, the HSE have detailed and robust systems and procedures in place to appraise, approve and prioritise infrastructure projects required for the provision of health services. These are set out in the HSE Capital Projects Manual and Approvals Protocol, which is in line with requirements set out in the Public Spending Code.
The number and cost of projects competing for inclusion in the annual capital plan invariably exceeds the funding available and it is necessary to conduct a prioritisation exercise involving a project prioritisation group in the HSE to determine which projects can be funded in any given year. The prioritisation exercise requires each project to be evaluated and scored by the project evaluation group against a range of criteria agreed with my Department including regulatory requirements, alignment with Sláintecare and climate action.
A draft capital plan is then prepared based on the prioritised projects. The draft capital plan progresses through the HSE internal approvals process prior to being issued to me in conjunction in conjunction with the National Service Plan for my review and approval.
Officials in my Department engage with the HSE through the drafting and review process to ensure alignment with policy, strategy and Letter of Determination requirements.
The 2022 Capital Plan, prepared in accordance with the above process, reiterates the government's commitment to investing in our health and social care services. Health capital funding available for Building and Infrastructure in 2022 is €1.02 billion, an increase of 4% on 2021. This investment will enable the HSE to progress projects in 2022 at National and Regional level, including government priority programmes and major capital projects as well as investment in primary and community care settings.I and officials in my Department will be working closely with the HSE in the implementation of the plan.
