Decision on extra HSE funds could be brought to Government next week

Agreement on how much extra funds will be given to the HSE to meet shortfalls next year could be reached and brought to Government as early as next week, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Department of Public Expenditure secretary general David Moloney said the figures being discussed are “not at the level” of the €1.5bn which was recently cited by HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster as the overspend faced by the health service next year.

“It’s at an advanced stage,” Mr Moloney said.

“Clearly, it’s going to be a significant supplementary. The minister hopes to bring a supplementary estimate to Government very shortly.” 

Officials from the department appeared before the Oireachtas finance committee to discuss the funding allocation for the HSE in the context of Budget 2024.

The topic of the HSE’s funding allocation caused a stir post-budget, with significant extra funding requested from the health side and a subsequent row between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

The Department of Health had bid for an additional €2bn to maintain existing levels of service into 2024, but only received €700m in existing levels of service funding in a total budget allocation of €22.5bn, meaning it is already facing a shortfall of €1.3bn for next year.

Faced with soaring costs, the HSE has implemented a hiring freeze with Mr Gloster recently telling staff that the HSE is “on course to exceed our 2023-funded workforce target, and this is neither affordable or sustainable”.

HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster. 

During robust exchanges at the finance committee with Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, Mr Moloney rejected claims the Government had “deliberately underfunded health next year” and said Ireland has “one of the best funded [health] services in Europe”.

Mr Doherty said the general public will be subject to “punitive risks” if the health service does not have the funding it needs for next year and that these issues “didn’t drop from the sky today”.