Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1991 > Committee of Public Accounts > Final Report - Appropriation Accounts 1988

APPENDIX 22

20 February, 1991.

Clerk to the Committee of Public Accounts,

Dáil Éireann,

Dublin 2.

Health Appropriation Account, 1988.

A Chara,

In regard to the hearing of evidence in relation to the above on 11th October, 1990 the following is some additional and/or updated material which I promised to send on to the Committee in the course of the hearing:

(a)CAPITAL SUB-HEAD — Maintenance and Security Costs on Unopened Hospital Units — (Chairman and Deputy Flood)

The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report on the 1988 account showed expenditure of £383,000 under the above heading on the St. James’s Hospital Phase 1C development. By the end of November 1990 expenditure on the St. James’s project had risen to £966,000. Otherwise there has been no further expenditure under this heading and the figures in the C and A.G.’s Report remain the same. It is expected that the St. James’s Hospital Phase 1C development will be fully operational by early December, 1991 and this will bring an end to capital expenditure on maintenance and security for unopened hospital units.

(b)Replacement of Windows and Faults in Communications System in Beaumont Hospital — (Chairman).

Since the opening of Beaumont Hospital five windows have been replaced. This was not due to any fault in the windows themselves but because of change of use of an area in the hospital. The area in question was originally part of the staff changing accommodation. Because the staff changing accommodation was being under utilised it was decided to convert part of it to provide a badly needed extension to the Cardiology Department. Part of the conversion work involved the replacement of the high level windows that had been provided in this area with the staff changing function in mind. Total expenditure, including the cost of erection of scaffolding, removal of cladding, breaking out blockwork, removing and replacing radiators, fitting new and larger windows, redecoration, etc. amounted to £13,000.

Shortly after the hospital opened it was found that the internal paging system was not entirely satisfactory in operation. Consequently, in the interests of patient care and general efficiency, it was decided to replace it at a cost of £17,365.

(c)AIDS Research — (Deputy Flood).

A paediatric AIDS research project is currently under way under which paediatricians are monitoring the progress of HIV in babies born with the infection. The Department of Health gave a grant of £30,000 to the project in 1988. In addition the Eastern Health Board’s Outreach programme, which is funded from the National Lottery, has a research element in it which is designed to evaluate whether the risk reduction services being provided are controlling the spread of AIDS infection. Apart from domestic based research projects we are of course fully aware of and can benefit from all significant developments in AIDS research at international level. This arises largely through the activities of our national AIDS coordinator, Dr. J. H. Walsh, who is recognised as a member of the international group of experts in this area and as such is facilitated in every way.

(d)Breakdown of Health Board Expenditure—(Deputy Dennehy).

Table I below gives details of the gross budget for each health board for 1989, broken down between community care, special hospitals, general hospitals and central services. Table II, which follows, gives details of the gross budget for each health board area for 1989 and includes expenditure on the General Medical Services (Payments) Board, voluntary hospitals and homes for the mentally handicapped which are directly funded.

TABLE I

TABLE II

(e)Childline Service of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children — (Deputy Cullimore)

The ISPCC has in recent years developed a more preventative role and its activities now mainly relate to the provision of pre-school services, nurseries and family resource centres rather than direct involvement with the victims of child abuse and neglect. In addition to its annual grant-in-aid from the Department the ISPCC also receives funds from the health boards in whose areas it is active. The Childline Service has been in operation since February 1988 and is manned by volunteers who receive training from the ISPCC. There is no formal arrangement between the Department of Health and the ISPCC for monitoring the nature of calls received on the Childline Sevice. However, the ISPCC does from time to time supply the Department with information on calls received, including an analysis of calls between different categories of complaints. The ISPCC Childline Service refers callers as necessary to the appropriate health board guidance and treatment facilities.

I trust the foregoing information disposes of the outstanding issues arising from the hearing on the 1988 Appropriation Account.

Yours sincerely

JOHN HURLEY

Secretary

Department of Health