Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are lots more specific questions around that. No. 1078 B is correspondence from Mr. Robert Watt, Secretary General of the Department of Health, dated 16 February 2022, providing information requested by the committee regarding the temporary assistance payment scheme and the 2020 Supplementary Estimate for Vote 38 - Health. The Secretary General states that two Supplementary Estimates were approved in 2020, amounting to over €2 billion. These primarily related to Covid-19 expenditure and the 2020-21 winter plan. The funding was mainly allocated to the HSE.

The governance and oversight arrangements are set out in the correspondence as well as a breakdown of the expenditure, although there are inconsistencies between the Department's cash-based system and the HSE's accruals based financial performance report. In respect of the temporary assistance payment scheme, which was established to support private and voluntary nursing homes with additional costs due to Covid-19, the Department states that "a robust control framework was put in place". This included thresholds on claims, a review of claims by an external accountancy firm and provision for any misallocated funds to be clawed back for a period of up to six years. It is proposed to note and publish this correspondence. Is that agreed?

No. 1080 B is correspondence from Mr. David Maloney, Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, dated 16 February 2022, providing information requested by the committee concerning the decision of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to terminate funding of the Benefacts database. The database concerned the non-profit sector, which is reported to receive about €7 billion in public funds each year. While the response sets out a clear rationale for the termination of the database, I think there is a strong argument that it is in the public interest to maintain this database. Members will recall that Deputy Catherine Murphy raised this time-sensitive matter at our meeting of 3 February. She also submitted the proposal in writing, which is also before the committee today - No. R1041 C. I propose that we note and publish the item from the Department and take both together. Deputies Catherine Murphy and Imelda Munster raised this matter.