Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There might not be, but I find it utterly unacceptable that at the time the Department felt it was appropriate to use hard earned taxpayers' money to continue to send people abroad on study trips. There is no point in answering a question or an accusation that is not being levelled. I am not accusing anybody in the Department or the HSE of maladministration, but I need to know, as does the committee, what was the culture and mindset, what was happening and who decided it was appropriate to constantly spend taxpayers' money on these study trips. Dr. McLoughlin has kindly read the itinerary of the study trips, but perhaps he might like to expand on the tangible benefits to the taxpayer.