Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Stanley, I would not be questioning anybody's qualifications. I must allude to questioning the then Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform about a €10 million mistake that was made by the Office of Public Works, OPW. I questioned the then chief commissioner of the OPW as to whether there was a disciplinary process afoot because somebody had made such a mistake, which was the mis-measuring of Miesian Plaza. Mr. Fraser may recall that. I was told there was not a disciplinary process. I put a question at the Committee of Public Accounts to the then Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I asked him if he was aware of this technical fault and if it was a matter of surprise to him that there was no disciplinary process afoot due to the negligent behaviour that lost the State €10 million over the lifetime of the lease. I will paraphrase his response, but it is an accurate description of what the then Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said. He said we do not employ a "gotcha" culture in the Department and mistakes - given the questioning I was putting – such as the loss of €10 million, was something to be learned from. It would be a learning experience. Is this what we can look forward to in the Department of Health? I refer to the culture of people losing such money from basic banana maths type mistakes that cost the taxpayer €10 million. Are we paying someone €292,000 a year who can look forward to a retirement package in the region of €600,000, to uphold a culture which allows such losses from basic mistakes to be a learning experience?