Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the second part of the meeting we will deal with the management and oversight of grants to health agencies, regularly referred to in the public arena as section 38 and section 39 bodies, as they are funded directly by the HSE. Almost €4 billion of taxpayers' money is given to them. At previous meetings the committee raised serious concerns about the level of oversight of the sector demonstrated by the HSE. In the past year or so we have had the Console issue and matters related to top-up payments made to certain staff. We have had issues in organisations such as St. John of God services, before which we had issues in the Central Remedial Clinic. Representatives of the Rehab group appeared here on a previous occasion also. It is greatly welcome that the Comptroller and Auditor General devoted a chapter in his annual report for 2016 to this specific topic. It is timely and important in ensuring the effective spending of public moneys in a way that will provide maximum benefit for those who use the services of the agencies involved.

Mr. O'Brien, director general of the HSE, is joined in this session by Mr. Stephen Mulvany, chief financial officer and deputy director general; Ms Rosarii Mannion, national director, human resources; Mr. John Cregan, head of compliance; Mr. Ray Mitchell, parliamentary affairs division; Mr. Kevin Cleary, HSE compliance division, and Mr. Michael Flynn, national director, internal audit division. We are also joined from the Department of Health by Mr. Greg Dempsey, deputy secretary general, and from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform by Mr. Barry O'Brien and Mr. Tom Clarke.

By virtue of 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If, however, they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Before I call on the Comptroller and Auditor General to make his opening statement, I point out that it is almost 11.50 a.m. and that there will be block voting in the Dáil in approximately one hour when we will have to suspend the sitting. It is inevitable we will have to resume afterwards as we will certainly not have our business transacted within the next hour. I am putting people on notice that we will be back after the block voting and a lunch break.

I call on the Comptroller and Auditor general to make his opening statement.