Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We are used to getting a very factual report from the Comptroller and Auditor General, but the one before us is very different from those we are used to seeing. It states:

Within the revenue income and expenditure statement, spending is broken down into pay and non-pay, with further analysis of non-pay spending under a mix of resource type and national scheme categories. However, the amount spent on mental health services in 2020 is not disclosed in the audited financial statements. Separately, the HSE’s annual report discloses an unaudited figure of just over €1 billion of current spending on mental health services in 2020.

Nowhere can I find any reference to capital spending. It looks to me like a melange, mixed together in a bowl. Ms McGirr stated that, on foot of the framework from the Committee on Budgetary Oversight, there has been improved reporting and transparency. Where exactly is that improved reporting and transparency in the context of the mental health budget? Will the representatives from the Department of Health outline how the Department satisfies itself that the resources provided to the HSE for the provision of mental health services are being utilised as they were intended?