Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. O'Brien, his officials and Ms Buckley. I thank them for attending what is probably the last day of our analysis of the various public sector allowances across the Departments and agencies.

There were two striking items in Mr. O'Brien's opening statement. He stated: "Due to the challenges posed by the legacy payroll systems predating the HSE, it has been difficult to quantify with precision the exact number of staff and costs associated to individual allowances." That is the first time we have been told by an Accounting Officer that they are not in a position to quantify the number of individuals and the amount of specific allowances. Perhaps he would expand on that point. I appreciate there is the issue of legacy payroll systems that predate the HSE, but the HSE is not a new entity as it has been in existence for more than a decade. Mr. O'Brien might update the committee on the current position with overhauling that payroll system. He also spoke about being unable to quantify with precision the exact number of staff and costs associated with them. To which allowances is he referring and how good is the estimate?