The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Michael McGrath T.D. and the Minister for Health, Mr. Stephen Donnelly, T.D. welcomed the funding provided by the European Commission of €311m for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They also acknowledged the collective efforts undertaken by the Regional Assemblies and the staff of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to assist with the reprogramming of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) support to address the urgent and exceptional challenges posed by Covid-19 to health care provisions in all regions of the country.
Ireland has today submitted a second claim to the EU Commission for support towards the costs incurred during 2020 in the purchase of PPE supplies for the Irish healthcare system, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This brings to €311m the support provided under the ERDF Programmes in Ireland to the HSE for PPE.
Availing of flexibility measures introduced at EU level, Ireland’s two ERDF Programmes responded by setting up the Health Support Scheme, which has directed €311m of much needed resources towards the HSE’s efforts to procure the supply of PPE for front line health care workers in Ireland.