Written answer
Departmental Funding
The Minister said €1.15 million for a paediatric FND hub would be considered through annual estimates, with the HSE to respond directly.
4082. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if as part of Budget 2027 she will consider funding (€1.15 million) to establish the paediatric FND specialist hub at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), based at the new children’s hospital. [59180/26]
Comment on this
Funding for additional service developments is considered in the first instance as part of the annual estimates process, in the context of overall prioritisation of available funding. This process seeks to balance available funding across all service areas to achieve the best possible outcomes for the greatest number of service users and prioritise areas of greatest need.
Further, following the establishment of the HSE Health Regions service decisions are at the discretion of the relevant Regional Executive Officer (REO) and National Director of National Services and Schemes, in line with national strategies and policy priorities.
As the REO for Dublin and the Midlands has oversight of Children’s Health Ireland, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.