Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Notwithstanding the point made by Deputy Burke, I am just becoming aware of this issue. Deputy Buckley raised it with me in recent days. The report we have here is quite concerning. It appears to me the problem is as a result of a historical lack of investment. Time and again we see services are depleted to such an extent that the HSE then tells us they must be removed because they are in such a poor state. It is quite concerning. Obviously, we have a different role from that of the Oireachtas Committee on Health because our job is to look at public expenditure and whether there is value for money. In line with Deputy Burke's proposal, I suggest we forward the correspondence to the members of the Oireachtas Committee on Health to make sure they have it and possibly request that committee to indicate whether it is planning to pursue this issue and whether it sees a role for us that would help it in its deliberations. I agree we do not want to duplicate work but we have an obligation to ensure this issue is investigated fully by the Oireachtas.