Mr. Stephen Mulvany:

Not fully. On the standards, the report identified control breaches. The HSE keeps the patient private property money separate from its own accounts. We engage an external auditor who audits the operation of the patient private property account in the local centres, numbering close to 150. The auditor's staff prepare a financial statement, they give us a list of control issues and they also prepare one for the central account. What gives me some assurance is that the vast bulk of the money is retained in the central account. That is also audited and no issues of materiality have ever been raised. The Comptroller and Auditor General then separately audits the overall consolidated patient private property account.

There has been progress in dealing with some of the issues raised in 2014 and 2015. They are not fully there but there is a significant programme of work with external support that is well project managed, which is approximately 70% complete. I will give the Deputy some examples.