Government approves extra funding for health, education, social protection, and children
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has received Cabinet approval for an additional €960m in health spending.
The Government has approved an additional €4bn bailout for four departments, taking the total overspend in 2023 to €6bn.
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has received Cabinet approval for an additional €960m in health spending, taking the final budget for the department up to €22.4bn.
This is well below the €1.5bn shortfall that has been predicted by HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster.
An additional €850m is also being provided to the Department of Education to help accelerate the ongoing school building programme, as well as to deal with additional pay costs.
The largest supplementary allocation has been given to the Department of Social Protection, with a further €1.1bn to be spent on a raft of previously announced cost of living measures.
These cost-of-living measures include the €300 fuel allowance payment, a €400 disability support grant, and a €400 working family payment.
An extra €170m will be allocated to the Department of Children for ongoing pressures in Tusla and the disability service.
This further €4bn brings the total supplementary estimate for 2023 to over €6bn, following previous announcements of €1bn extra towards the Department of Integration to deal with accommodating Ukrainians and international protection applicants.
Announcing the extra funding, Mr Donohoe said that the supplementary estimates show that the Government is working to provide more cost-of-living measures amid high inflation.
“These measures are being rolled out in a timely manner with those on lower incomes benefitting to a greater extent,” Mr Donohoe said.
“This funding also recognises the additional demand facing our public services particularly in the health and education sectors.
"Our public services continue to operate in a post-pandemic environment with increased demand and complexity.”
The Cabinet also agreed to begin work on extending the Seanad voting franchise for the university panel to all Irish third-level graduates.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien brought forward the plan to begin drafting the legislation to extend the franchise, which would see a new six-seater “Higher Education” panel created.
This new constituency will replace the existing NUI and University of Dublin constituencies.
A referendum had previously been passed in 1979 to extend the Seanad voting franchise, but no legislation was ever enacted.
However, following a case taken by Tomás Heneghan, a Limerick University graduate, the Supreme Court ruled that the Government needed to legislate to expand the voting franchise.
The estimated size of the new constituency would be 951,445 electors, according to statistics from the Central Statistics Office.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan also received permission to accelerate the construction of the Adare Bypass in Limerick, as part of plans to ensure it is completed by 2027, when the Ryder Cup is due to be held in Adare Manor.
The Government is set to provide €150m to deliver the 7km bypass through the town, which is part of the overall Limerick to Foynes project.
Mr O’Brien also received permission to increase the acquisition target for social homes from 200 to 1,500 next year, as part of the Tenant in Situ scheme, as well as adding an additional €114m to the Land Acquisition Fund.
This fund, administered by the Housing Agency, is used to target acquisition of sites for both social and affordable housing delivery.
