Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Why is this not surprising? I suspect the Comptroller and Auditor General does not use English in a flippant manner and that any word used carries huge meaning. Phrases such as "a significant level" and "a lack of evidence of competitive procurement" carry huge weight. Why is it not surprising that this lack of competitive procurement has been found in the HSE? It is not in the least surprising. The public is exasperated, as are politicians, by this practice. The significance of this is in the impact such practices have on the overall health spend. Year in, year out, Ministers and Departments speak about the lack of funding for front-line services, but then we see this total disregard which goes to the very heart of the debate on health services. For years we have had a scenario where health expenditure has increased but the delivery of services has moved the other way. Is it any wonder, when we see this type of language used, reporting and analysis showing this continual scenario and practices such as this, that we do not have a better health service? I agree with Deputy David Cullinane on the need for further analysis. It is even more shocking that the Comptroller and Auditor General has stated this issue has been reported on on numerous occasions. This shows that practices and attitudes do not change, but none of this is surprising when it comes to the HSE because it has been ongoing for years. It is something that must be tackled. Something is not right if the practices followed at its core are not changing.