Disabilities minister expresses anger at HSE capital funding

Anne Rabbitte wrote to the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly earlier this year stating she did not agree with the list of disability projects for 2023 and sought to discuss the matter with the HSE. Picture: Moya Nolan

Disabilities Minister Anne Rabbitte has vented frustration with the HSE over "bureaucracy" that means that millions of euro in funding cannot be spent each year.

Ms Rabbitte has said the issue of capital funding is one of her "biggest bugbears" as it can be difficult to understand "how and where the money was spent, the grey areas within that".

She wants to be able to reallocate funds to shovel-ready projects if other developments are delayed or do not go ahead during the year.

Ms Rabbitte wrote to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and his senior advisers earlier this year stating she did not agree with the list of disability projects for 2023 and sought to discuss the matter with the HSE.

"Minister Rabbitte is not happy to sign off on it as it stands meaning further engagement will be required on the disability side with the HSE," the email sent on February 17 stated.

It is understood that the capital plan was signed off on despite concerns being raised by Ms Rabbitte, but has been since updated.

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The minister of State has been in contact with the new HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster in recent weeks on the matter of capital funding to ensure it does not simply go back to the exchequer at the end of each year.

"I'm keen to see significant investment in disability services to ensure there are new services coming on stream, but progress has been frustratingly slow," she told the Irish Examiner.

There are now fears that a portion of the €22m allocated for disability capital projects will not be spent.

"The capital budget for this year is the biggest it has been in years, and I don't want unspent capital funding when I know there are shovel-ready projects we can fund, which in turn would help families access services and supports," Ms Rabbitte said.

"Ultimately, my aim is to create more capacity in the system and bureaucracy appears to be slowing it down," she said.

She recently told an Oireachtas health committee that the way the HSE has worked to date means that funding is directed towards the end of the year, which hinders any reallocation if projects do not materialise.