Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I bring to the attention of the committee a serious issue on which I have been endeavouring to obtain an answer from the HSE for the entire summer. An e-mail I sent to the chief financial officer of the HSE at 10.32 p.m. on 21 August remains unanswered. Its subject was the erroneous decision to apply the terms of the Haddington Road agreement to Sunbeam House Services, a disability service provider in my constituency. I understand this issue is not confined to my constituency, however. The HSE was supposed to apply the provisions of the Haddington Road agreement to disability service providers, meaning their budgets were to be reduced by the percentage applied under the agreement. There is substantial evidence in the case of my constituency and a number of other constituencies that the HSE has reduced funding for disability service providers by a higher amount. Not only does this affect staff pay and working conditions, as intended, but transport services have also ceased in a number of a disability service providers and other services have been reduced. As a public representative, I corresponded with the chief financial officer on 21 August last seeking comment on this issues, which affects people with a disability daily. That I have not been shown the courtesy of a reply almost two months later is appalling.

The issue I raised with the chief executive officer has been covered extensively in terms of its effects on people with a disability. I ask that the committee put the HSE on notice that we wish to discuss with it the manner in which it is applying the Haddington Road agreement to disability service providers. When we discussed this issue last week with the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Watt, we were informed that a commitment was made in the talks on the new public sector agreement to make savings of €150 million. A couple of weeks later, the chief financial officer of the HSE issued a circular to his subordinates stating the organisation would only save €104 million. Either through incompetence or for much more sinister reasons, disability groups are paying a heavy price through reduced services. I ask that we put the HSE on notice that the committee intends having a serious discussion with its representatives on the erroneous manner in which the Haddington Road agreement is being applied in the health service.

On Saturday, the Daily Mail published a three page story, which must have been based on a leak, on a HSE audit report into another disability group in my constituency. Serious issues arise as a result of this report. First, who in the HSE is leaking information on the expenditure of taxpayers' money? Second, the committee must discuss with the HSE what checks and balances are in place for the expenditure of millions of euro through third parties. Obtaining answers from HSE representatives who appear before this committee is like pulling teeth. As a public representative and member of this committee, I contacted the chief financial officer of the HSE on an issue of great importance and did not even receive the courtesy of a response. I ask for the assistance of the committee in obtaining an answer.