Dáil Éireann - Volume 594 - 02 December, 2004

Written Answers. - Accident and Emergency Services.

Mr. Kenny Mr. Kenny

  157. Mr. Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the total expected income from accident and emergency charges for the years 2001 to 2005 inclusive; the amount collected; if there is an amount outstanding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31952/04]

Ms Harney Ms Harney

  Ms Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is not routinely collected by my Department. For voluntary and statutory hospitals, I wish to advise the Deputy the information requested is monitored and is the direct responsibility of the relevant health board-authority.

491

The health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, are funded directly by my Department. I set out in tabular form the accident and emergency income collected for each of the years 2001 to 2003, the latest full year for which information is available. This information has been obtained from the health boards and the ERHAs annual financial statements. In accordance with my Department’s accounting standards [491] for health boards-ERHA, accident and emergency income is accounted for on a cash receipts basis rather than a bills issued basis.

492

My Department has referred the Deputy’s question to the chief executive officers of the health boards-ERHA and has requested that they [492] respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the accident and emergency income collected by the voluntary-statutory hospitals for 2001 to 2003, the amounts outstanding in respect of bills issued but not collected and expected incomes for the years 2004 and 2005 for their board and hospitals under their aegis.

Dáil Éireann 594 Written Answers. Accident and Emergency Services.

Questions

20041202