Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 3 July 2014

Public Accounts Committee

2012 Annual Report and Appropriation Accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 39 - Health Service Executive
Section 38 - Agencies Remuneration

12:50 pm

Mr. Kieran Timmins:

Like any major funder, one would always sit down and discuss the issue with the main funder. For example, if I wish to proceed with a capital project, one portion of the project would be the capital part and another portion would come under ongoing expenses, for which we would seek funding from the HSE. There is no point in our board building a big facility unless we understand that we have ongoing support for it going forward. To that extent, we would engage with the HSE and discuss it with it. For example, the Swords project will be a joint project. As Mr. Pat Healy said, the HSE does not stop us doing capital projects but given that we are funded by the HSE, we would have to discuss and debate with it on an ongoing basis.