Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are in public session. Today's meeting is focused on two specific areas relating to the HSE Financial Statement 2015: (i) Internal financial control and the governance of grants to outside agencies under section 39 agreements; and (ii) an update on the payment of specified remuneration and allowances to senior managers, known as top-up payments, in the section 38 agencies and the requirement to comply with Government pay policy.

This meeting is being held principally because of the litany of revelations across the media in recent weeks. We should all allow time for the appropriate public bodies carrying out legal investigations to take place with regard to that organisation, Console. However, the HSE as a body is responsible for distributing more than €3 billion of public taxpayers' money to approximately 2,600 organisations and this is very much of concern to the committee. The committee wants to ascertain what protections are in place to ensure the moneys distributed to these organisations is well spent and provides good value for money for the taxpayer.

I welcome Mr. Tony O'Brien, director general of the HSE. He is accompanied by Ms Anne O'Connor, national director, mental health division; Ms Rosarii Mannion, national director, human resources; Dr. Geraldine Smith, assistant national director, internal audit operations; Mr. Gerry Raleigh, director, National Office for Suicide Prevention; Mr. Brian Purcell, head of compliance unit; and Ms Martina Queally, chief officer community health care organisation, area six.

We are also joined by Mr. Pat O’Mahony, who is a deputy secretary general in the Department of Health; Dr. Siobhán O’Halloran, who is the chief nursing officer in the internal financial control division; Mr. Greg Dempsey, who is an assistant secretary in the internal financial control division; and Ms Teresa Cody, who is an assistant secretary in the pay policy division. We are also joined by Ms Annette Murray and Mr. Paddy Howard of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We are also assisted today by the permanent witness to the committee, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, who is the Comptroller and Auditor General; and by Ms Ruth Foley, who is the director of audit in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. I remind members, witnesses and those in the Gallery to ensure all mobile phones are switched off.

I remind witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of that evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given. They are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. As always, members are reminded of the long-standing ruling of the Chair to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I invite the Comptroller and Auditor General to make an opening statement on the matters for discussion at today's meeting as they pertain to his audit.