Results 1-20 of 1,125,516 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Paul Kehoe OR speaker:Michael Moynihan OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Peadar Tóibín OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:Colm Burke OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Alan Kelly OR speaker:Norma Foley OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Cathal Berry OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh6 OR speaker:David Cullinane)

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I would prefer the Minister to answer that.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister, the Ministers of State and the officials who are here. I wish to make one point or observation, which is important for me to make. The Minister might recall that when we had discussions about Supplementary Estimates last year, which was also after budget 2024, this committee clearly set out our concern that the health service was not properly funded for existing...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: In fairness, I have given the Minister a lot of my time to respond to that question. I want to get on to a second point as quickly as I can as well. I just want a figure for my first question. How much has been achieved by way of productivity and savings since the task force was established? The breakdown, if there is one, can be provided to us in writing. Second, what scientific...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: A total of €100 million in the context of the health budget is not a success story.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Of course, there is more to do. Some €100 million is nowhere near what can and should be saved. Even in respect of the issues the Minister raised regarding how money can be saved, €100 million does not stack up. We have not even got to agency spend, where I argue a lot more can be saved. If a note can be given on exactly that, it would be important. I am sure we will debate...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Is the Minister saying that no roles have been abolished? Is he saying that zero roles have been abolished or is he just disputing the 2,000 figure?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Let us park that for one second. That is a figure. Is the Minister contending that no posts have been abolished that were vacant on 31 December 2023? Is it his contention that no posts have been abolished or is he simply saying that the figure of 2,000 is something he wants verification on? That is an important distinction.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: We know that. It is my last question, and the Minister did not answer it, with respect. I accept what he said. That is not in dispute. What is in dispute is that there were vacant posts on 31 December 2023 that were abolished. If the Minister is disputing the figure from the INMO, has he the HSE's figure? I am asking him a very straight question. He is the Minister. Have posts been...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: You do not know the number.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: You do not know the number.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: What we need is a workforce plan that is aligned with recruitment, if we are training healthcare professionals. That is why we have training targets. We are training them to come to work in the public system. Every graduate should be offered a job in the public system. That is not runaway recruitment. It is common sense. If the Minister is able to furnish figures for vacancies that were...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Mary Butler: The Deputy is right that we have an ageing population, but we are also living longer. We have one of the highest life expectancies in the EU, as deemed by the World Health Organization, with women reaching 84 years of age and men reaching 82.5.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Mary Butler: Yes, in the EU 27, as deemed by the World Health Organization. A really interesting statistic is that we have 400 fewer people in nursing homes under the fair deal scheme this year than we had in 2019. This shows that the investment in home care, day care and meals-on-wheels services is working. When Sláintecare was being devised, it was estimated that we would need 30,000 fair deal...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Mary Butler: I wish to come in on community beds. In next year’s budget, there will be an additional 174 community beds. I asked the HSE, when we were going through the CNUs, that instead of just replacing the beds, we start turning the dial. For example, in Clonmel CNU, 50 beds will be provided, of which 32 are additional. In St. Columba’s in Thomastown, there will be 95 beds, of which...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Mary Butler: Could I come in briefly on two things we have done as regards older people that have made a big difference? Earlier this year we completed the nationwide roll-out of mobile X-rays to people in nursing homes. It makes no difference which nursing home you are in - public, private or voluntary. We started on a pilot project but we have used it across the whole country now over 10,000 times....

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: The additional funding in budget 2025 is €4.2 million. An additional 34 whole-time-equivalents will be employed. Some €2 million will be allocated to expand community-based drug services. Some €1 million will be allocated for the national roll-out of the community alcohol service, and that includes the employment of 24 whole-time equivalents. There is €500,000...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: There is a substantial increase in the overall budget for 2025. It is going to be the biggest budget ever in real terms. I will get the correct figure for the Deputy but the increase in total is the biggest figure. For instance, the total increase in funding is €40.5 million for the coming year. There is a €10.1 million increase for pay awards agreements. Some €5...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: As the Deputy knows, we hope to have the supervised injection facility in Merchants Quay opened by the end of the year. I have been there and I have seen the progress being made in the building work. The target is to have it opened by early to mid-December. That is a really important facility that needs to be open. As the Deputy knows, the initial proposal on that was going back to 2019....

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Mary Butler: I will come in there as it is something that overlaps both our briefs. As the Deputy would know, in 2023, I launched the clinical programme for dual diagnosis, which supports service users who present with mental health and a substance use disorder. In the mental health budget, there were 210 new whole-time equivalents. Ten of those posts are specifically for dual diagnosis to start up two...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: The Deputy should remember that 422 different centres around the country provide support for people with alcohol or drug addiction. Last year, 13,000 people received treatment for drug addiction and 8,000 people received treatment for alcohol addiction. Those figures are likely to go up. I have visited many of those centres over the last three to four months and each one of them is doing a...