Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 20 February 2014

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

10:10 am

Photo of John McGuinnessJohn McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Let us put this in context. Next week, the representatives of Rehab will appear before the committee. We have already decided to invite the previous CEO and the remuneration committee to get the other information that is required by the committee. Deputy O'Donnell raised the issue of the report and so forth, and attention has been drawn to the accounts. That will take us the full day next Thursday, probably morning and afternoon, because there will be three Accounting Officers before the committee as well.

The issues you raise, Deputy Harris, are so serious that they require another exchange with representatives of St. Vincent's, the National Maternity Hospital and the HSE. That can be done on another day. While we might get an update next week, the two issues are such that, linked with the matter of St. Michael's House raised by Deputy Dowds, they require three separate sittings. That might require the committee to sit on both Tuesday and Thursday of some weeks, but we will have to do that if you wish to go into that detail. I believe we should and I support the case you are making. With that in mind, we will have to adjust our work programme to ensure the representatives of the three bodies mentioned by you and Deputy Dowds are facilitated in appearing before the committee. That deals with the issue. I do not wish to complicate next Thursday with many other issues being brought before the HSE when we are due to deal with something specific. If the Deputy agrees with that, we will proceed on that basis and include it in the work programme.