Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation, although on that point I will express some concern about its scale. There are at least 16 senior officers present. That is a matter of concern for us as a committee in terms of ensuring value for money and so on. There is a problem with that. Apart from so much senior officers' time being taken up, there are other issues with lines of accountability. If there must be so many people present, there is no clear line of accountability.

I would like clarification of Mr. O'Brien's role in respect of oversight of this spending. My understanding is that the HSE's Vote has returned to the Department. Who is the Accounting Officer for moneys spent by the HSE?