Written answer
Departmental Budgets
Only West & North-West among four RHAs under enhanced controls had direct-pay savings to offset agency costs; the other three had deficits in both.
206. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health to list for each of the tier 3 escalation areas, the direct pay savings versus increases in agency spend to date in 2026. [72981/26]
Comment on this
The table below sets out the pay deficit for D/Health funded HSE services in four Regional Health Areas (RHA) for the year to August 2026.
The information is sorted by Agency pay and Direct pay. Direct Pay is inclusive of Basic pay, Allowances, Overtime and PRSI.
The table lists the four RHA who are under enhanced control measures because their total pay costs exceed pay budget by more than 2%. Enhanced control mechanisms include the requirement for any recruitment proposals to be approved by the CEO of the HSE before being forwarded to D/Health for further review.
It is notable that of the four RHA under enhanced measures, only the West & North-West has a Direct Pay surplus for offset against Agency costs. The other RHA have deficits in both Direct Pay and Agency pay costs.