Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Chairman will forgive me for not being here last week. I was representing the committee elsewhere. I have read a lot about the proceedings of this committee, the Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, and the Committee on Health. First, there should be only one committee doing the business on this matter although I recognise two points: first, that the Committee of Public Accounts did a very good job last week and, second, that I do not believe some of the information that has been provided to the Oireachtas would have been provided had it not been for the Committee of Public Accounts. With those two provisos, I must state there is a point at which we, as a committee, must recognise it is not customary for committees to duplicate each other's business, which is what is happening. There are three involved. The matter is to be subject to an inquiry that the Oireachtas will establish in due course. Therefore, it is appropriate that the correspondence provided by Mr. Breen, which alludes to an issue that merits further discussion at this committee, should be provided to the health committee. It is of relevance to it to consider it while not diminishing our role in the process from a public expenditure perspective. I propose that the correspondence be sent to the clerk of the health committee.