John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Individuals or families are being interviewed and the report I have had from one of the families on how they were treated is shocking. I must ask about the professionalism of the HSE's approach to this, about the fact that it has gone on since 1992, the legal costs, the costs of stonewalling the whistleblowers, and the cost of stonewalling the release of information through the freedom of information system. These are all costs that I would like to see being put before this committee. The answer the witnesses have given Deputy Deasy regarding the procurement process is nothing short of a disgrace. I know it did not happen on Mr. O'Brien's watch and that it dates back to the 1990s, but it appears to me that there was no standard in place and that as soon as the HSE found the problem, there was a rush to ensure that no one else found the problem. The individuals who blew the whistle were the ones who came forward and persisted with this. It is all down to costs. Where are the figures that will identify for us the cost of this investigation from start to finish? The answers have not been given here this morning. I am interested in the overall case, but we must be interested in the costs. Can we go back to the figures?