48.4% of the total state expenditure on welfare – £306.8 billion

“Mr Speaker. In recent days, there has been a significant discussion concerning government funding for health and welfare issues. The conversation has been vociferous in the sense that the government is not prioritising these matters.

This conversation is interesting in light of the fact that, according to the 2016 budget proposal, 48.4% of the total state expenditure goes towards these areas, equivalent to 306.8 billion. Of this, 25.2% goes towards health issues, which is the largest expenditure item in the budget, amounting to 159.9 billion. The next largest expenditure is public insurance and other welfare matters, accounting for 23.2% of total state expenditures, amounting to 146.9 billion.

When we examine what the Framsókn and Independence Party government has done in health matters during this term, it can be mentioned, among other things, that significantly increased funds have been allocated to the National University Hospital, with an additional 840 million to reduce waiting lists, a procurement plan for equipment valued at over 5 billion is scheduled, new funding has been allocated to initiate tenders for new buildings at the National University Hospital, amounting to about 1.8 billion in construction, significantly increased funding has been allocated to S-marked medicines, and funding is being increased for a dental agreement that was made in the last term.

In the 2016 budget, emphasis is placed on the development of health centres to alleviate the pressure on the National University Hospital. I consider this a very sensible decision to better ensure that the health centre is the first point of contact for patients. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but the good works the government has shown in developing the healthcare system are an encouragement to continue along the same path to build up the resource that our healthcare system is and should be.

In addition to this, expenditures on public insurance amount to 99 billion this year, which is an increase of 10.3 billion year-over-year. This information can be found in the 2016 budget and the presentation made by the Honourable Minister of Finance.

The accumulated increase in this area amounts to almost 17% from the year 2014. These figures are an encouragement to continue along the same path and further improve the conditions of the elderly and disabled for the future.”

Elsa Lára Arnardóttir — parliamentary proceedings 2 December 2015.