To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) how health economic analysis is incorporated into his Department's decision making, including service prioritisation and budget decisions; (ii) the number of staff within his Department who hold professional accreditation, specifically in health economics; and (iii) his assessment of whether the level of expertise is comparable to arrangements in other UK health departments, in terms of specialist qualifications in health economics.

In light of the constrained financial environment that the Department of Health (DoH) has been operating under for several years, most of the additional funding that becomes available is directed towards addressing existing inescapable pressures rather than funding new initiatives.

All decisions with funding implications are subject to scrutiny through the normal business case process, with proposals above delegated approval limits reviewed by Departmental Economists alongside other policy and analytical specialists.

Economists working within the Department of Health are part of the wider Northern Ireland Civil Service Economist Group. They must possess at least a second-class honours degree with Economics as a major component. They bring broad skills and experience in public sector economics and contribute to budget and spending decisions through the business case process.

A health economics qualification is a postgraduate or professional certification. No need has been identified within the Department for Economists to be employed with such specific qualifications.

Given the scale of the financial pressures facing the Health and Social Care system, it would not represent an effective use of the limited resources available to undertake a review of how DoH compares with the arrangements in other UK health departments in terms of specific health economics qualifications.