This paper aims to summarise relevant published literature on public health spending in Ireland. This paper is intended to supplement the PBO’s recent publication Health Spending in Ireland 2015-2023 (August 2023). This paper cannot, and does not attempt to, evaluate the efficacy or efficiency of the health services being delivered. 1.2 Methodology This high-level literature review draws on a wide range of sources, including the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (PENDR), IGEES, Department of Health, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC). 

The publications focus on a range of topics related to healthcare spending in Ireland. These include, primary care and acute care, pay and non-pay, current expenditure and capital investment. The factors identified by these papers as being key drivers of healthcare investment include: ▪ Staffing requirements and associated pay; ▪ Demographic pressures; ▪ Hi-tech drugs; ▪ Increasing demand for healthcare services; ▪ Increased national income; ▪ Capital costs; and ▪ Price inflation....