Results 1-20 of 1,111,447 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Paul Murphy OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Duncan Smith OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Ivana Bacik OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore OR speaker:Darragh O'Brien OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Emer Higgins)

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

Seán Crowe: The meeting has been convened to consider the 2024 Supplementary Estimate for Vote 38 for the Department of Health, amounting to €1.749 billion for current expenditure and €5 million for capital expenditure. I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Colm Burke, who is a former member of the...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Chair and the members of the select committee for the opportunity to bring the Supplementary Estimate for Vote 38 before them. I am seeking an additional total for 2024 of €1.754 billion. It comprises €1.749 billion for the HSE's current expenditure and €5 million for capital expenditure. For clarity, while I am seeking the committee's approval for this...

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

Seán Crowe: Okay.

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

Stephen Donnelly: Subhead 1 relates to net pensions costs of €83 million. Pensions is an area that is difficult to predict with accuracy as it is demand-led and once people retire they are entitled to claim superannuation benefits. As well as the demand element, the additional €83 million is driven by the public sector pay deal and a reduction in retained superannuation contributions because of...

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

Seán Crowe: The Minister spoke of subhead J1. Maybe it is the language he is using but it is not very clear. I am conscious people are probably listening at home as well. Maybe other members understand it. The Minister stated: While there are deficits across a range of core services, most of the supplementary ask, €1.544 billion, relates to acute hospitals. These deficits in core services...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I referenced two funds in the speech, the chief clinical officer's area and the services area. Essentially, the money goes into central departments in the HSE and, as new developments are rolled out, it gets transferred. For example, regarding the national cancer strategy, the money is allocated from the Department to the HSE, sits with the chief clinical officer and his unit and, as the...

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

Seán Crowe: It is a bit unclear but I will the discussion open up to members. I think Deputy Durkan is leading us off.

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

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister, the Ministers of State and the officials for attending. There are just a couple of things that come to mind. It would appear that a better picture is emerging in the context of funding for health service that will lead to improvements for consumers right across the country. That is to be welcomed. How did the underspends to which the Minister referred come about?...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. The two big areas of underspend which we have shown in the document circulated to the committee are those the Chair and I have just discussed. They relate to the chief clinical officer and national support services. They are not really underspends. That is to the Chair's point. We call them underspends but, in fact, they are lump sums that are transferred across and,...

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

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister. The underspends in question, in terms of their description, are misnamed.

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

Stephen Donnelly: They probably are.

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

Bernard Durkan: There should be an alteration in the description. The Minister has explained that. It should be done in order prevent people being misled and to enable those who may expect the moneys to be sent in their direction to know that this is or is not a possibility. They have to plan as well. In relation to the State Claims Agency and negligence claims, the total allocation of €485...

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

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. The core part of this is patient safety. There is a financial cost involved for the State as well, but, first and foremost, this is about reducing and, where possible, eliminating harm to patients. A few different things have happened. In terms of catastrophic birth injuries, there is now a review group. It was set up, I believe, two years ago by an eminent...

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

Bernard Durkan: Have these been quantified? Have the areas where positive changes can be made with obvious beneficial results from the point of view of patients and in the context of the risk and cost to the health service been flagged? To what extent has a breakdown of the €485 million referred to, including legal fees, been obtained and what were the extent of the legal fees involved, if known?

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

Stephen Donnelly: I am sure we can get that information for the Deputy. What we are seeing in the profile is that there was a significant escalation, as we see from the figures provided to the committee, from €205 million in 2015 up to €465 million in 2021. It more than doubled. In 2022, it went up €530 million. It has stabilised over the past four years.

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

Bernard Durkan: As a result of action taken.

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

Stephen Donnelly: There would be various reasons. The payments being made this year will, for example, relate to cases from quite some time ago. We will get the Deputy a more detailed note in terms of legal fees versus payments. We want to achieve a few things. First and foremost, we want to maximise patient safety. Second, where there is a mistake or where there is a catastrophic birth injury or...

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

Bernard Durkan: In terms of a reduction in the number of incidents, how will be able to monitor the extent to which potential catastrophic incidents can arise? What evidence exists which shows that the prevention of incidents is well in hand, as needs to be the case? The follow-on from that is the financial liability. How quickly will we see the effect of and be able to judge the preventative measures...

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

Stephen Donnelly: They are measured each year. There is an accurate understanding of the number of catastrophic birth injuries and, indeed, other patient safety issues. It is taken very seriously. The patient safety office in my Department is very involved in this. The HSE is also very involved. We can certainly provide some detail in terms of the numbers. For example, the legal fees relating to the...

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

Bernard Durkan: All I will say is that this Department specialises in health. Insofar as possible, we need to prevent as many accidents or errors in procedures as possible in every way possible to ensure the money in the health budget is spent on health as opposed to legal fees. I saw something about the OPW. I have had some interaction with the OPW recently. While I cannot find it at the moment, the...