Cystic Fibrosis Ireland warmly welcomes the additional €4 billion allocated to health in the Budget published in October 2020.

In particular CFI welcomes the additional €1.7 billion that is to protect health care workers, vulnerable groups and public from the impacts of COVID-19;  the €50 million for new drug therapies and the commitment to 16,000 additional posts in the health workforce.

Much of the detail around health is published a number of weeks after the budget in the HSE Service Plan and until then, much of the detail in the budget will remain unclear.  CFI will publish a further update once the HSE Service Plan is published. 

Health spending and the budget 

An additional €4 billion has been allocated to health in the Budget published on 13 October 2020, the largest ever annual additional spending for health.

This includes:

• €467 million to permanently fund 2,600 beds in acute and community settings, including €52m for critical care beds
• €100 million for people with a disability
• €38m for new mental health services
• €1.7 billion to protect health care workers, vulnerable groups and public from the impacts of COVID-19
• €425 million to deliver enhanced community and social care services including an additional 5 million home care hours
• €318 million to improve access to care including a new Access to Care fund
• €147 million to reform the way care is delivered through the accelerated implementation of national strategies
• €50m for new drugs
• €20m for Healthy Ireland
• An increase of approximately 16,000 posts in the health workforce

Budget 2021

Key social welfare updates which may affect people with CF, their families and / or carers.

• Parent’s Benefit will be extended to five weeks for parents. This is a benefit on top of parent’s leave for those who have enough PRSI contributions. Each qualifying parent is currently entitled to parent’s benefit during parent’s leave of two weeks in a row, or two separate weeks of leave in the first year after their child’s birth or adoption.
• The €425 income threshold per week for the one-parent family payment will be removed from April 2021. This is a payment for parents raising children without another person.
• €5 increase for qualified child dependants aged 12 and over, in all weekly payments.
• €2 increase for qualified child dependants up to age 12, in all weekly payments.
• Fuel Allowance will increase by €3.50 to €28.00 per week – over 375,000 households to benefit.
• Carer’s Support Grant of €1,850 per year (increase of €150) to be paid in 2021 - to benefit over 130,000 carers.
• €5 increase in the weekly Living Alone Allowance from €14 to €19 for people with disabilities who are living alone – over 221,000 to benefit.
• Earnings disregard for people receiving Disability Allowance who are working to increase by €20 per week to €140.
• New €1,000 Training Grant to help people with disabilities who are seeking employment
• A Christmas Bonus of 100% will be paid on an exceptional basis this year to recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and equivalent recipients of Jobseeker’s Payments who have been on these payments for four months or more.
• Self-employed workers will be able to earn up to €480 a month gross and keep their Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
• Funding for €1,000 COVID-19-Enterprise Support Grant doubled to €24 million.
• The Part-Time Job Incentive scheme to be made available to the self-employed who intend to resume their business but can only do so intermittently or on a limited/reduced basis when they leave the PUP.
• €10 million is being provided towards employment supports for people who are unemployed, with specific focus on youth unemployment. This is in addition to the €112 million provided in the July Stimulus package.