The new Northern Ireland Executive has made a special allocation of £3.3 million sterling to meet extra costs to the health service arising from exceptional demands made by the flu crisis.
The decision was taken in the course of a five-hour meeting at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, yesterday. The Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, said the special allocation was made in response to "this quite extraordinary flu" which he was even suffering from himself. Mr Mallon said the Executive had made other budgetary adjustments after monitoring in the various departments last month. The Minister of Finance and Personnel, Mr Mark Durkan, said approximately £32 million had now been reallocated to increase some departmental budgets in the current financial year.
Key points of the departmental allocations were: an additional £6.3 million for health, including the special allocation for the flu crisis; almost £7 million for agriculture; £1.3 million for school and library books; £6.5 million for maintenance on schools, colleges of further education, housing and roads.
The Minister of Health, Ms Bairbre de Brun, said that at no point in the discussion was there any mention of political allegiances. "I am very grateful to ministerial colleagues for their support", she said.
She said the extra funds would cover additional staff costs in hospitals and the opening of extra wards and hospital beds, including high-dependency beds in some hospitals.