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

Okay. Is it agreed we note the accounts and statements? Agreed. As usual, the listing of accounts and financial statements will be published as part of our minutes.

Representatives of the Department of Health recently appeared before the committee. There have been reports in the media that I want to address as Chairman of the committee. We are told there are recordings of a senior official describing the Committee of Public Accounts as having "a few loopers" among its membership. He is quoted as saying, "Not for repeating, but there are a few loopers on the Public Accounts Committee, which makes it even more unpredictable." He is further quoted as going on to state, "Robert is well able for them." If those quotations are accurate and if that is the Department of Health's attitude towards this committee, that is a disgrace. I acknowledge Deputy Catherine Murphy has made this point. The committee is here to do an important job. We endeavour to do that to the best of our ability with the assistance of the secretariat and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General and those comments are not acceptable.

I suggest, if it is agreeable to the committee, that we write to the Department of Health noting that these comments have appeared in public and asking the Secretary General whether he is aware of these comments from a senior official, whom I will not name. We should ask the Secretary General to clarify his own views on the matter and we should ask for an apology to members of the committee if it did happen. It is totally unacceptable. The Oireachtas is the body held accountable by the public and all Departments are answerable to the Oireachtas and to the duly elected government. We do not know for sure whether the comments were made but they have certainly been reported as direct speech. I propose we ask for the Department of Health’s view on the matter.