Departmental Funding

Tuesday, 11 July 2023

Questions (749)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

749. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to outline the total funding provided by the HSE/his Department to all older persons’ support groups/organisations/advocacy services in 2022 and planned for 2023, in tabular form, by name, location, budget and number of staff employed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33801/23]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Patient Advocacy Service (PAS) provides support to people of all ages, including older persons, who wish to make a complaint about the care they have received in Public Acute Hospitals or Nursing Homes. PAS also supports people in the aftermath of patient safety incidents. PAS is a National Service with a National Phone line which is available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

	Year	Year
	2022	2023
Location	PAS had a Head Office in Dublin and an office hub in Galway	PAS had a Head Office in Dublin and office hubs in Galway and Cork
Staff Employed	18	24
Expenditure	€1,1291,811	€772,788*
Budget		€3,350,834

*This is the expenditure to date in 2023 (as at 30/06/2023). PAS has informed the Department that the underspend on the projected budget YTD is in relation to a) salaries and associated costs, due to phased recruitment as resources required (recruitment ongoing) and b) rent, due to impact of blended working model and requirement for office space.

A component of the Deputy’s question is an operational matter for the HSE. I have therefore asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.